Hurricane Dorian tore across the Bahamas on Sunday as a historically powerful hurricane, leaving scenes of devastation in its path.
When the Category 5 hurricane made landfall on Great Abaco Island, east of Miami, on Sunday at 2 p.m., Dorian’s maximum sustained winds were 185 mph — an Atlantic hurricane record matched only by a storm that struck the Florida Keys in 1935, the National Hurricane Center said.
At 3 a.m. Monday, the center warned of the ongoing “life-threatening situation” as the hurricane lashed the island with 200 mph wind gusts and a storm surge 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels.
“These hazards will continue over Grand Bahama Island during most of the day, causing extreme destruction,” it said, referring to the northernmost island of the archipelago.