Hurricane Dorian: Will It Affect NYC?

NEW YORK – Hurricane Dorian packed 185 mph sustained winds as it pummeled the Bahamas Sunday night. The Category 5 storm was moving dangerously close to the Florida's east coast late Monday through Tuesday night but its track will then swing north, the National Hurricane Center says.

In the New York City area, there's an increasing chance for increased waves, high surf and dangerous rip currents from Dorian mid-to-late this week, but the National Weather Service says it's still too early to detail rain and wind forecasts for the region that far out.

Forecasters said Dorian could reach Georgia's coast around 8 a.m. Wednesday as a major hurricane with wind speeds over 110 miles per hour. From there the predicted path of the storm spins north along the East Coast, reaching southern Virginia by 8 p.m. Wednesday and northern Virginia and Maryland by midday Thursday. Dorian could possibly pass close to NYC on Saturday.

Of course, anything can happen in the coming days. Hurricanes are known to unexpectedly veer to a new course, fizzle out or strengthen. That's why forecasters along the Eastern Seaboard are urging residents to monitor weather forecasts.

The full NYC forecast, courtesy of the National Weather Service:

Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 81. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind 6 to 8 mph.

Wednesday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 9 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night
A chance of showers between 8pm and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday
A 40 percent chance of showers after 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 76.

With reporting by Deb Belt