Hurricane Dorian puts U.S. Southeast coast on high alert, local information lines open: Volusia - 866-345-0345; Flagler - 386-586-5111

TO READ THE LATEST UPDATES, PLEASE REFER TO THIS LATEST STORY

With hurricane warnings now in effect for Volusia and Flagler counties, evacuations are underway in both counties as residents are ordered to flee the barrier islands ahead of Hurricane Dorian's trip along the coast.

Although sustained winds of only tropical storm-force strength — less than 75 mph — are forecast gusts to hurricane-force winds of 75 mph or more are possible in the two-county area on Wednesday, placing both counties in a hurricane warning. Mandatory evacuations are in place in Volusia and Flagler counties, including barrier islands and mobile homes east of Interstate 95, and low-lying areas.

Dorian — the second strongest storm on record in the Atlantic since 1950 — continued to pummel the Bahamas as it drifts over the islands at the excruciating pace of 1 mph, and finally in a more west-northwestward direction.

The forecasts from the National Weather Service on Monday afternoon increased the potential threats along the coast, adding that tornadoes could be a concern and possible hurricane-force gusts to more than 100 mph. Dorian will bring a powerful storm surge, and both counties are under a storm surge warning. A potential storm surge flooding map from the National Hurricane Center indicates widespread potential flooding of up to 7 feet in areas along the coast and Intracoastal Waterway. Along the coast, those higher seas could be topped by waves as high as 20 feet.

The storm also could push up the levels in the St. Johns River as it pushes seawater inland and prevents the river from flowing out at Mayport.

Evacuations are taking place all along the coast of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as hundreds of thousands flee the menacing storm, which is expected to batter the coast with tropical storm- and hurricane-force winds for more than 24 hours.

5 p.m. National Hurricane Center Dorian update:

Although Dorian is still drifting over the Bahamas, the official forecast states it's now moving west-northwest, but the position estimates did not change between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. The hurricanes most-intense winds dropped to 145 mph on Monday, and its central barometric pressure rose to 938 mb.

"Life-threatening storm surges and dangerous hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the Florida east coast through mid-week, and storm surge and hurricane warnings are in effect. Only a slight deviation to the left of the official forecast would bring the core of Dorian near or over the Florida east coast," the Hurricane Center stated in the 5 am update.

25 miles northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, 105 miles east of West Palm Beach145 mph maximum sustained winds, peak winds of 190Moving west-northwest at 1 mph940 mb central barometric pressureHurricane warning in effect for Coastal Volusia County and southTropical Storm-force winds extend outward to 145 miles from the eye; hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles

Developing News - Volusia/Flagler:

Tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or more are expected to start in Volusia County between noon and 2 pm. Tuesday, and then in Flagler County, and last more than 24 hoursVolusia - Mandatory evacuation order in effect for beachside residents, people in RV's and mobile homes east of Interstate 95, and those who live in low-lying areas prone to flooding.Flagler - Mandatory evacuation order for all residents and visitors in evacuation zones A, B, and F as well as those in flood prone areas, mobile and manufactured homes.Volusia and Flagler schools are canceled through Thursday

Potential local impacts, National Weather Service

The latest forecast puts Dorian about 48 miles east of Daytona Beach on Wednesday morning. The average margin of error in the track forecast at 3 days is around 100 miles. In the same way that Hurricane Matthew's wobble to the east helped spare the coast in October 2016, a wobble to the west from Dorian could make things so much worse.

While the track of Dorian remains offshore, Peter Wolf with the weather service office in Jacksonville said the width of Dorian's winds will expand as it approaches.

"Thus, as with Matthew in 2016, we are likely to still see substantial impacts for our coastline, including surge, winds/gusts near hurricane force, and very rough surf with battering waves of 10-20 ft Tuesday-Wednesday," Wolf wrote in an update. "Uncertainty remains regarding the exact track of Dorian. If it remains a massive hurricane, it is likely to follow the current official forecast track northward. If it were to weaken as it gains latitude, it could deviate a bit more toward the northwest, ending up closer to the northeast FL coastline, enhancing impact severity."

Storm surge and hurricane warnings in effect in Volusia and storm surge watches and hurricane watches in Flagler counties.Sustained tropical storm force winds in excess of 39 mph possible in Volusia County by Tuesday afternoon and Flagler County by Tuesday evening and continuing for 24 hours or moreSustained hurricane-force winds not forecast for either county at this time.4-8 inches of rain forecast, with up to 12 inches or more along the coastWave heights at beaches increasing from 5-7 feet later Sunday to 10-20 feet by Tuesday and WednesdayPotential for storm surge flooding of 4-7 feet above ground level, with inundation of 3-6 feet along Intracoastal Waterway

“Daytona Beach remains within the cone of uncertainty and the storm’s path is only about 40 miles offshore,” stated Randall Barry, Associate Professor of Meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “If Dorian wobbles even slightly to the west, the Daytona Beach area could be dealing with a very serious situation. No one should be complacent or underestimate the risks that we’re facing as this storm approaches Florida.”

Noteworthy:

Since 1950, only 1 Atlantic hurricane has had maximum winds stronger than Hurricane Dorian's current maximum winds of 185 mph: Allen in 1980, with winds of 190 mph, said Phil Klotzbach, lead seasonal forecaster with the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University. Dorian's 185-mph winds tied Gilbert in 1988 and Wilma in 2005.

Volusia and Flagler Counties

On the beaches, the surf is already rough and high, said Tammy Malphurs, spokeswoman for Volusia County Beach Safety. And, debris already is washing in with the tide.

Residents should take their own essentials to the shelters, including medicines. Although many shelters are pet-friendly, the animals should be crated. As Volusia County's emergency management director Jim Judge put it: shelters are "a lifeboat not the Love Boat."

Flagler County ordered a mandatory evacuation for the beachside and opened two shelters, a special needs shelter at Rymfire and a general shelter at Bunnell Elementary.Volusia beaches are closed to vehicles, and they're flying a double red flag, meaning no one is allowed in the water.Volusia County has enacted an emergency curfew for cities and unincorporated areas east of the Halifax River from 6 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday, and from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.A storm surge warning is in effect, with surge heights as great as 6 feet are forecast along the Intracoastal Waterway and its tributaries and the St. Johns River and its tributaries.

Evacuation zone maps

Volusia -

Evacuation Zones▮ A,▮ BC,▮ DE: Click map to identify a zone. For the best experience, pinch your phone to zoom in.

Developing News - Elsewhere in Florida:

The following counties have issued mandatory evacuations:

Martin County – Mandatory evacuation order for Zone A and Zone B are in effect. This includes Hutchinson Island, Jupiter Island, Sewall's Point, low lying areas, and mobile and manufactured homes.Palm Beach County – Mandatory evacuation order for Zone A and Zone B. Zone A includes mobile homes, sub-standard housing and low-lying areas prone to water intrusion. Zone B includes the barrier islands, land areas north and south of the Jupiter Inlet, and other surge-vulnerable areas south along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Broward County line.Brevard County – Issued for 5 p.m. Sundayfor Zone A, including all mobile and manufactured homes.St. Lucie County – for residents on the barrier island (North and South Hutchinson Island), those living in low-lying coastal areas and mobile homes.St. Johns County – 8 a.m. on Monday, September 2 for Zone A and Zone B, which includes the entire cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, and those living on waterfront property or in flood-prone areas.Volusia County – Mandatory evacuation order is being issued at 10 a.m. Monday, for residents who live on the beachside and in RVs and mobile homes east of Interstate 95 and in low-lying areas.Duval County – Mandatory evacuation order is being issued for Zones A and B, as well as Huguenot and Hanna parks, at 8:00 a.m. Monday.Indian River County – Mandatory evacuation order issued at 8:00 a.m. on Monday for all areas east of U.S. Highway 1, including the barrier islands.Nassau County – Mandatory evacuation order issued for Zones A. C and F.

The following counties have issued voluntary evacuations: Nassau, Osceola, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Okeechobee and Highlands.

Bahamas

A "life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island," the hurricane center said.Widespread rainfall of 12-24 inches is forecast, with isolated totals of as much as 30 inches.Dorian is the first Category 5 hurricane ever to strike the Abacos, said Klotzbach.

MORE PHOTOS: Hurricane Dorian Prep in Flagler | Hurricane Dorian Local Preparations | Hurricane Sensors

More information:

Sandbag InformationHow to stay informedFlaglercounty.org/emergency_informationVolusia.org/emergencyVolusia County Citizens Information Center - 866-345-0345Flagler County hurricane call center - 386-586-5111Volusia/Flagler cancellationsTrash pickupDorian Q & A

Next high tide:

Daytona Beach Shores 11:27 p.m. Monday, 12:01 p.m. TuesdayInside the inlet at New Smyrna Beach 12:55 pm.

Other news:

AdventHealth in New Smyrna Beach has evacuated to other AdventHealth facilities, but the emergency room will remain open.

With the St. Johns River already flooding at Astor, any further rain to the south would only increase worries of additional flooding.

From the Governor's office

Florida Highway Patrol is escorting fuel trucks to ensure fuel reaches critical areas more quickly.

Governor Ron DeSantis waived hours of service and truck weights for fuel trucks. Neighboring states, specifically Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia have waived requirements as well so that fuel can be moved more quickly and efficiently.

The state is working with industry partners to identify additional resources, including trucks, staff, etc. to distribute more fuel throughout the state.

The state has 819,000 gallons of water and 1.8 million meals ready for distribution and submitted a request to FEMA for 9 million liters of water and 6.5 million shelf-stable meals.

The state has pre-deployed 860,000 bottles of water to preparing countiesand has 730,000 pounds of ice ready for distribution.

A total of 2,272 Florida Guardsmen have been activated to State Active Duty for Hurricane Dorian response operations, with an additional 2,162 Guardsmen supporting in a variety of statuses.

A Helicopter Search and Rescue Team is on standby with eight different air frames (two UH-60 Blackhawks, two CH-47 Chinooks, two HH-60 Blackhawks and two LUH-72 Lakotas), to provide search and rescue support capabilities if needed.

Suspended Tolls:

Alligator AlleyTurnpike Mainline (SR 91), including the Homestead Extension (SR 821)Sawgrass Expressway (SR 869)Beachline Expressway (SR 528)SR 417 - Eastern beltway around Orlando from I-4 in Osceola County to I-4 in Seminole County.SR 429 - The Daniel Webster Western Beltway from I-4 in Osceola County to US 441 in Apopka.I-95 Express Lanes o I-595 Express LanesI-75 Express Lanes