MIAMI _ Hurricane Dorian is gaining strength in the Atlantic as the storm's forecast track nudged further east, improving the outlook for South Florida.
Dorian is projected to move over a "deep layer of very warm waters, which is like high-octane fuel for hurricanes," the National Hurricane Center reported in its most recent advisory on Saturday morning.
With maximum sustained winds of near 150 miles per hour and higher gusts, Dorian is expected to gain more strength _ but that's likely to fluctuate as the storm's eye wall replaces itself.
As of the NHC's 11 a.m. advisory, the eye of Dorian was about 415 miles east of West Palm Beach and moving westward at about 8 miles per hour. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the storm's center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.
The storm is expected to remain a powerful Category 4 as it moves westward over the next few days, bringing life-threatening storm surge 10 to 15-feet above normal tide levels and devastating winds to portions of the northwestern Bahamas, particularly on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island.
A hurricane warning is in effect for those areas.
Global models show Dorian's track moving further east. But storm surge and hurricane-force winds are still possible along Florida's east coast by the early to middle part of next week, the NHC predicted. Since Dorian is expected to slow down and turn northward just offshore of the coast, it is too early to tell when or where the highest surge and winds could occur.
The core of the storm should move over the Atlantic well north of the southeastern and central Bahamas on Saturday as it nears the western Bahamas on Sunday and approaches Florida's east coast late Monday, forecasters advised.
As of the latest advisory, the storm is not projected to make landfall in Florida, though much of the peninsula's east coast remains in the forecast's cone of uncertainty.
Even with the improved outlook for Florida, there's still a significant margin of error, forecasters warn.
In Miami-Dade, Mayor Carols Gimenez urged residents to remain vigilant. The NHC forecast says tropical storm conditions are possible at Miami International Airport beginning on Sunday night.
"It is way too early to let our guard down," Gimenez said during a press conference at the county's emergency management headquarters in Doral. "We still have a 50-70% chance of tropical storm force winds and surges. Don't take down your shutters, not just yet."
Gimenez, who issued an emergency declaration for Miami-Dade on Friday, said he received a call from President Donald Trump late Friday assuring him that Florida and the county would receive help from the federal government if needed.
"I thanked him for that. He was very gracious," Gimenez said. "I know him personally so we had some conversation between us. He's watching out for what's happening."
The local emergency declaration allows Gimenez to hire contractors more quickly, call a curfew if needed and assume other powers. The county has not issued an evacuation order and its plans to evacuate special needs residents to shelters were suspended.
Gimenez, joined by county commissioners and administrators and U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, eased concerns about the danger of another construction crane mishap. Two collapsed downtown during Hurricane Irma two years ago.
"We had issues during the last hurricane where a crane wasn't secured and a counterweight fell right between the two paths of Metrorail," he said. "Our new crane rules will help ensure the safety of residents. As crane operators secure their equipment we will closely monitor the path of the storm. There is a long list of things they need to do. Gov. (Ron) DeSantis is allowing our local building officials to enforce those provisions."
King tide flooding is expected to continue through Tuesday, adding a foot or more of water to areas already saturated with rainfall, so people in flood-prone zones must stay vigilant, Gimenez said.
As Florida's fortunes appeared to improve, the risks of strong winds and storm surge rose for the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina for the middle of next week. Heavy rains capable of causing flash floods are expected over portions of the Bahamas and the Southeastern United States this weekend through much of next week.
Dorian has been gaining strength in recent days. On Friday night alone, the storm's sustained winds picked up to 140 mph from 125 mph just three hours earlier, according to the 11 p.m. update. By 11 a.m. Saturday, sustained winds were near 150 mph with higher gusts.
It's predicted to continue moving toward Florida at a steady pace, maintaining much of its force over the next several days. Dorian is no longer forecast to make landfall in Florida, though the storm could still bring hurricane force winds and heavy rain to portions of the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents Saturday to remain vigilant despite the shift in Dorian's track.
"You can look at a little bit of a movement to the west and all of a sudden we're looking at a much different scenario," DeSantis said at a 9 a.m. briefing at the state's Emergency Operations Center.
DeSantis said that mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for Brevard County on Sunday and a partial evacuation has been announced for Martin County. Other counties _ Palm Beach, Glades, Hendry and St. Lucie _ have issued voluntary evacuation orders.
He warned that Dorian could be a "multi-day storm" and said officials have distributed about a million gallons of water and plan to distribute almost two million meals from a central warehouse hub in Orlando. He also said President Trump had approved his request for a federal disaster declaration for the state.
"That will enable us to draw down more federal resources in anticipation of this storm," he said in a media briefing. "The constant in this storm ... is that this thing is getting stronger."
Dorian is expected to make landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday evening and pass through by Monday evening, forecasters said.
Projections have shifted Dorian's possible landfall up and down the coast over this week, and each update has shown a later arrival time.
A high pressure weather system over the western Atlantic has been shifting eastward, suggesting that Dorian will make a gradual turn to the northwest and north. But forecasters are uncertain when the northward turn will occur and whether it will happen over land or sea. Most models agree that Dorian will turn north sometime Tuesday.
Military bases across Florida were forced to move aircraft and other military vehicles out of Dorian's path. At the Homestead Air Reserve Base, 25 F-16 aircraft were moved away, according to NBC 6. A spokesman for the air base did not respond to a request for comment Friday evening.
