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From the grinder: Grand Bahama devastated by Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian, still a fully fledged Category 5 to high-end Category 4 system with sustained winds of 155-165 mph (249-265 km/h) has been moving extremely slowly over the Grand Bahama island throughout the day. It has moved about 40-50 km in total, remaining virtually stationary since mid-morning (UTC). With such slow motion, parts of the island were exposed to extremely severe winds and massive storm surge for extended periods of time.

Dorian was slowly moving westward over the eastern part of Grand Bahama through the night (local time), stalling and coming to a standstill over central parts of the island by late morning. The eye was highly symmetrical at the beginning of the period, becoming elongated and wobbly by late morning. Peak winds were 165 mph (265 km/h) through the night (CAT5), but dropped to 155 mph (249 km/h), to CAT4, just below the uppermost category threshold. A storm surge up to 4-5 m was expected: much of Grand Bahama is (well) below that elevation.

First reports from Grand Bahama are coming in – see below: