by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:12 AM ET, Tue September 3, 2019
Update: September 5, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. ET
Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 3 storm making its impact on the coastal areas of South Carolina and North Carolina with storm surge, rainfall flooding and high winds.
According to AccuWeather.com, Dorian's maximum sustained winds increased to the 115 miles per hour and the hurricane is expected to continue moving north along the Atlantic coast, with southeast Virginia likely to face the wrath of the storm Friday.
FlightAware.com is reporting over 500 flights to and from airports in the U.S. impacted by the storm have been canceled Thursday morning and more than 360 flights have already been delayed.
Cruise Critic is also reporting over 25 voyages had to change their itineraries due to Dorian thus far.
Update: September 4, 2019 at 2:25 p.m. ET
As Hurricane Dorian continues to move north along the east coast of the United States, areas in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and southeast Virginia are preparing for the worst.
According to Weather.com, Dorian will not make a direct hit on the U.S., but instead will continue to bring storm surge, high winds and flooding rain through Friday, leaving residents and tourists stranded.
Dorian continues to impact travel, with FlightAware.com reporting over 980 flights to and from airports in the U.S. impacted by the storm have been canceled Wednesday and more than 1,300 flights have already been delayed.
In addition, cruise lines are working to provide aid for The Bahamas after Dorian caused so much destruction and left at least seven people dead.
Update: September 4, 2019 at 6:25 a.m. ET
After stalling over the Bahamas and leaving a path of destruction that includes the deaths of at least seven people, Hurricane Dorian is now making a direct impact on the southeast United States and its travel industry.
According to AccuWeather.com, Dorian was moving along the Atlantic coast of North Florida Wednesday morning as a Category 2 hurricane, packing tropical-storm-force winds of at least 39 miles per hour up to 175 miles from the eye.
Dorian's hurricane-force winds of at least 74 miles per hour extended up to 60 miles from the eye. The storm is expected to continue bringing storm surge, high winds and flooding rain to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and southeast Virginia through Friday.
According to FlightAware.com, over 820 flights to and from airports in the U.S. impacted by the storm have been canceled Wednesday morning and more than 220 flights have already been delayed. The number is expected to rise sharply throughout the day.
Cruise passengers scheduled to return to ports in Florida such as Orlando and Fort Lauderdale are spending extra days at sea, while Amtrak has halted service in impacted regions as the storm begins lashing Florida.
Update: September 3, 2019 at 3:50 p.m. ET
After devastating the Bahamas for over 12 hours, Hurricane Dorian is slowly moving toward the Southeast U.S. at around two miles per hour.
According to AccuWeather.com, Dorian is currently a Category 2 hurricane and is likely to impact Florida's Atlantic coast, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and possible southeast Virginia this week.
As for Dorian's continued impact on travel, FlightAware.com reported as of 3:45 p.m. ET that over 1,800 flights to and from airports in the U.S. impacted by the storm have been canceled Tuesday and more than 2,060 flights have been delayed.
In addition, cruise passengers have been stranded at sea until ships are once again cleared to return. Cruise lines such as Disney, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean have been forced to extend their itineraries on voyages that originated from impacted ports.
Hurricane Dorian continues its slow march toward Florida and the Southeast United States Tuesday after dealing a devastating blow to The Bahamas and snarling travel along the way.
According to Weather.com, the Category 3 hurricane is expected to bring damaging impact to Florida's Atlantic coast and parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and possible Virginia this week.
After leaving five people dead and pummeling The Bahamas with sustained winds of 61 miles per hour and gusts reaching 82 miles per hour for the last 48 hours, Dorian is slowly starting to work its way toward the East Coast.
Tropical-storm-force winds now extend up to 160 miles from the eye.
Hurricane warnings have been issued throughout the Atlantic coast of Florida and storm surge warnings have been issued north into South Carolina. Hurricane watches have also been issued in Georgia, South Carolina and portions of North Carolina.
Hurricane Dorian has devastated travel plans for the Labor Day weekend into Tuesday. According to FlightAware.com, over 1,500 flights to and from airports in the U.S. impacted by the storm have been canceled Tuesday and more than 500 flights have been delayed.
All major carriers serving the Bahamas, Florida and the other states likely to be impacted by the storm have issued travel advisories and continue to waive change fees. American, Delta, Southwest, United and other top airlines serving the region are preparing for cancellations and delays to continue as Dorian makes landfall.
The cruise industry is also dealing with the impact of Dorian, with Cruise Critic reporting Carnival Cruise Line has been forced to alter itineraries for over 15 of its scheduled sailings thus far.
In addition, Royal Caribbean has made modifications to the scheduled stops for seven ships and Disney Cruise Line has rerouted three vessels. Other companies dealing with impact sailings include Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Dorian is also impacting Florida's booming theme park industry, with Walt Disney World announcing it would close early Tuesday as the storm approaches, according to Theme Park Insider. In addition, SeaWorld and Aquatica will be closed all day on Tuesday, as will Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando.
Rail travelers are also feeling the sting of the hurricane, as Amtrak has revealed it will operate a modified schedule and cancel select services in the Southeast between September 3 and September 5.
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