by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:09 AM ET, Thu August 29, 2019
Update: August 31, 2019 at 9 a.m. ET
Florida is still in Hurricane Dorian's crosshairs; let's not make any mistake about that.
But overnight the storm shifted. While it is still expected to make landfall in Florida, Dorian now tracks to be on a similar path as the devastating Hurricane Matthew took in 2016 - hugging the eastern coastline and hammering Georgia and the Carolinas.
While most models now show Dorian lingering off Florida's coast Tuesday and Wednesday, and then hitting South Carolina Wednesday or Thursday, uncertainty remains.
"It's important to note that much of Florida, and the Southeast coast remain in the forecast 'cone of uncertainty,' meaning landfall is still possible anywhere along the east coast of Florida and points further north," CNN Meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
Update: August 31, 2019 at 3:30 a.m. ET
Hurricane Dorian has turned into a monster, intensifying from a Category 3 storm to a Category 4 in less than 12 hours.
As Friday dawned into Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said winds remain above 140 miles per hour as Dorian was just over 500 miles away from centering in on Palm Beach, Fla.
It is currently moving at 10 miles per hour; at that pace, it will start to batter the east coast of Florida by late Monday into Tuesday depending on whether the forecasts are true that it Is expected to slow down.
In the meantime, residents in the Bahamas have been warned to evacuate.
"A prolonged period of life-threatening storm surge and devastating hurricane-force winds are likely in portions of the northwestern Bahamas, where a hurricane warning is in effect," the National Hurricane Center said.
Virtually every airline has waived its change fees for passengers looking to re-book their flights out of Dorian's path. Major airlines are also capping prices on fares out of Florida and adding additional capacity to flight routes. Delta, for instance, added six additional flights between airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando, and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
Cruise lines have already begun moving ships out of Port Canaveral, Fla. and have changed itineraries for those at sea to avoid Dorian's path. The major cruise lines have warned passengers that the major ports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral on the east coast could suffer damage that would prevent ships from returning to those ports.
For those looking to escape by car, state officials in Florida said they will not turn portions of major highways into one-way traffic, but have cleared shoulders on interstates and highways and will lift tolls as evacuations orders are issued.
As expected, Dorian's imminent landfall is affecting numerous sporting events.
Two minor league baseball seasons are over as the high-Class A Florida State League and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League have both canceled the remainder of their 2019 seasons and the postseason.
Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins are out of town.
In college football, Florida State's season-opener against Boise State tomorrow has been moved from Saturday night to a Noon kickoff, as well as being moved from a neutral setting in Jacksonville to FSU's campus in Tallahassee.
Update: August 30, 2019 at 7:45 a.m. ET
The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Dorian has strengthened into a Category 2 storm and is packing maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour.
According to Weather.com, Dorian was moving in a northwest direction at 12 miles per hour early Friday morning and was located about 260 miles northeast of the Bahamas. Forecasters believe the storm will reach Category 4 strength before making landfall in Florida and other portions of the southeast United States.
Cruise lines continue to change itineraries and alter routes due to the storm. Cruise Critic is reporting Carnival Cruise Line has adjusted nine sailings, with at least five other voyages possibly impacted in the comping days.
Other cruise lines dealing skipping ports of call or changing their routes include the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
As for the airline industry, all of the major carriers in the U.S. and the Caribbean have issued full travel advisories and are waiving change fees for travelers flying to or from top airports in Florida, including Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Key West, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
Over the next several days, airports in the region are advising travelers to call their airline before hitting the road to ensure their flights have not been delayed or canceled.
After strengthening from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane, forecasters believe Dorian is heading toward landfall in Florida during the Labor Day weekend as it continues to impact travel.
According to Weather.com, the National Hurricane Center said Dorian is packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour and moving 13 miles per hour as it rolls into the warmer open waters southeast of the Bahamas.
As the storm system continues moving northwest toward the United States, it is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane due to the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream. Some forecasters even believe Dorian could reach Category 4 before hitting the Southeast Sunday into Monday morning.
Fox 35 Orlando meteorologist Glenn Richards said Dorian could be "the strongest hurricane to hit Central Florida in over 30 years." As a result, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency and urged residents on the state's east coast to "have seven days of supplies, prepare their homes and follow the track closely."
As for the hurricane's impact on travel, airlines serving airports in the Caribbean and Florida are issuing travel advisories, waiving change fees and offering refunds for canceled flights.
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have expanded their advisories to include airports in the Bahamas, while Southwest is now waiving change fees for customers flying to or from Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach Saturday through Wednesday.
For travelers scheduled to sail through the Caribbean in the coming days, Cruise Critic revealed that Carnival Cruise Line has been forced to alter itineraries for four of its scheduled sailings.
In addition, Royal Caribbean has made modifications to the scheduled stops for seven ships and Disney Cruise Line has rerouted only one vessel, but is monitoring the storm for weekend sailings.
On Wednesday, the storm system brought heavy rain to Puerto Rico and parts of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, but Dorian did not make a direct hit on the islands as many had feared.
This is a developing story. TravelPulse will update throughout the weekend as the Hurricane continues to impact travel.
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