FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Hurricane Dorian's winds ratcheted up to 130 mph Friday night, making it a Category 4, the National Hurricane Center said in an extra update half an hour after its usual 8 p.m. EDT advisory.
The forecast track is still heading northwest with Dorian 575 miles east of West Palm Beach.
A rightward shift in the cone earlier in the evening moved the center of the storm track to Martin and St. Lucie counties and reflected the chance the storm could take a hard right turn and spare Florida a direct hit.
The latest atmospheric data indicates the slow-moving hurricane could start its much-anticipated wheel to the north before reaching Florida, which would bring its point of landfall farther up the coast, according to the hurricane center's Friday evening advisory.
But the hurricane center said models have not been consistent and that the entire east coast of the state remains a possible target for a storm projected to achieve wind speeds of 140 mph by the time it hits land.
Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Floridians on Friday that Dorian could be a "multiday storm."
DeSantis also expanded an emergency declaration to cover the entire state, which will ease road restrictions and allow for more fuel to be transported to stations. In the event of evacuation orders, tolls will be suspended, he said.
Preparations for the hurricane were in full gear Friday.
Half of South Florida's gas stations were on empty, Politico reported. Florida Highway Patrol was due to escort gas trucks into the region. Troopers were also loading trucks of bottled water to bring down.
State officials gave away about 1 million gallons of water and had plans to distribute 2 million meals in the Orlando area.
Fort Lauderdale exhausted its sandbag giveaway at Mills Pond Park. An estimated 5,000 bags and 70 tons of sand were given to residents, city officials said.
Broward County extended its landfill hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, including weekends and the Labor Day holiday. Bulk trash, hazardous waste and electronics can be taken there.
Tri-Rail planned to run a regular schedule Saturday and to figure out Sunday's plan as it got closer.
The Palm Beach County School District announced that its 15 schools that serve as hurricane shelters were prepared to open if needed. The earliest would likely be Sunday, the district said.
Because Dorian is traveling at only 10 mph, it has plenty of time to keep on growing and intensifying.
"The biggest concern will be Dorian's slow motion when it is near Florida, placing some areas of the state at an increasing risk of a prolonged, drawn-out event of strong winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rainfall," the hurricane center said.
Scenarios for Florida's east coast remained varied, from a catastrophic direct hit by a Category 4 storm to a glancing blow from the left side of the hurricane as it remained out to sea and drifted north. The hurricane center said "any small deviation in the track could bring the core of the powerful hurricane well inland over the Florida, keep it near the coast, or offshore."
Although the entire east coast remains at risk, due to the growing chances for an early turn north, the hurricane center shifted the cone. But forecasters urged residents to not focus on minor changes in predicted tracks instead of the reality that the whole Florida coast was exposed to the danger.
The hurricane reached Category 3 strength Friday afternoon and jumped to a Category 4 later in the night. It has developed a classic hurricane structure, with a well-defined eye and hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles from the center.
A Category 4 storm is the second highest classification. The storm had been projected to reach Category 4 strength, with top winds of 140 mph, by the time it makes landfall.
The center of the storm may not make landfall until early Tuesday, as the storm's projected forward motion continues to slow down, said Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami.
"There's not a lot that we're confident about this forecast scenario as it approaches Florida, but one of the things that we are confident about is that it will slow down," he said.
The first brief tropical-force gusts could arrive as early as Sunday during the day. Sustained tropical-force winds probably won't arrive until Sunday night and may not start until Monday, he said.
Palm Beach County has a 45% to 55% chance of experiencing hurricane-force winds, which means speeds of at least 74 mph, the National Weather Service said. Broward has a 40% to 50% chance and Miami-Dade has a 25% to 35% chance, the weather service said.
The chance for tropical-force winds, which means speeds of at least 39 mph, has increased to 85% to 95% for Palm Beach County, 80% to 95% for Broward and 75% to 90% for Miami-Dade.
Molleda, of the National Weather Service in Miami, said South Florida should be prepared for a weekend of uncertainty.
"All weekend it's going to be moving slowly but surely toward South Florida," he said. "The big question begins as it approaches the coastline. This is going to be a long event."
The storm was projected to continue to slow its forward motion, an ominous development that could subject areas in its path to a prolonged lashing from winds and rain.
"Slow is never our friend," said Ken Graham, director of the hurricane center. "Slow means more rain. Slow means a longer period of time to get those winds and saturate the soils. More trees down. More power outages."
He said the storm could bring 6 to 10 inches of rain to some areas, with a few isolated areas experiencing 10 to 15 inches.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but 95% of storms are produced during the peak period from mid-August to late October, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that conditions could be favorable for more dangerous storms than initially projected.
