Waves pummel the Juno Beach Pier during Hurricane Dorian in Juno Beach, Fla. on Sept. 3, 2019. (Photo: Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post via ZUMA Wire)
Hurricane Dorian began inching northwestward over the Bahamas Tuesday morning after hovering there for hours, and forecasters say the now-Category 3 storm will later move "dangerously close" to Florida's east coast.
The monstrous storm has been blamed for the deaths of at least five people on the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas, where it touched down Sunday afternoon as a Category 5, the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record. Dorian then came to a grinding halt on Monday morning and remained at a virtual standstill over Grand Bahama, the northernmost island of the Bahamas archipelago.
Hurricane Dorian has since been downgraded to a Category 3, with maximum sustained winds near 120 miles per hour. But the storm has grown in size over the past 48 hours while remaining almost stationary. Tropical storm force winds have expanded away from the center and now stretch as far as 160 miles outside the eye of the storm. As a result, parts of Florida's Palm Beach County experienced 60 mph wind gusts on Tuesday morning. (AP)
Brandon Ennis runs away from waves caused by Hurricane Dorian crashing over the jetty of the Jupiter inlet, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, in Jupiter, Fla. (Photo: Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
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This GOES-16, GeoColor satellite image taken Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, at 17:10 UTC and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Hurricane Dorian moving off the east coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA via AP)
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Businesses are seen shuttered near Fort Pierce Jetty Park, in Fla. on Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo: Adam Delgiudice/AFP/Getty Images)
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Beach goers in Sexton Plaza watch the waves crash onto Vero Beach as Hurricane Dorian inches closer to Florida's Treasure Coast on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo: Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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The eye of Hurricane Dorian is shown from the International Space Station orbiting more than 200 miles above the earth, as it churns in the north-western Caribbean nearing the United States mainland in this photo taken Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo: Christina Koch/NASA/Handout via Reuters)
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A woman seeks cover from wind, blowing sand and rain whipped up by Hurricane Dorian as she walks on the beach on Sept. 2, 2019 in Cocoa Beach, Fla. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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A lifeguard tower is seen on the shore in at Las Olas Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP/Getty Images)
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A dog runs along the coast line on Spanish River Park beach in Boca Raton as Hurricane Dorian now a Cat 4, lashing Bahamas as it crawls toward Florida before turn north on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Daytona Beach Shores Police set up a road block to only let residents in as hurricane Dorian looms in the Atlantic Ocean, on Sept. 3, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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A house is pictured at the Manatee Mobile Home & RV Park in Fort Pierce, Fla. on Sept. 2, 2019. (Photo: Adam Delgiudice/AFP/Getty Images)
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A woman takes a picture as the effects of Hurricane Dorian begin to be felt on Sept. 2, 2019 in Cocoa Beach, Fla. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Workers install protective sheets of plywood over the windows of a convenience store in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian. (Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Surfer Scott Norwood prepares to go in the water as Hurricane Dorian approaches Florida, on August 31, 2019 in Cocoa Beach, Florida. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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restaurant advertises hurricane supplies as Hurricane Dorian approaches the coast, on August 30, 2019 in Cocoa Beach, Florida. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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This Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019 image provided by NASA shows a view of Hurricane Dorian from the International Space Station as it churned over the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico. (Photo: NASA via AP)
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A few loaves remain in the bread isles after customers prepare for hurricane Dorian inside the Walmart on Indiantown Road in Jupiter, Fla. on Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo: Richard Graulich/The Palm Beach Post via ZUMA Wire)
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James Wolfe, 72, left, and Elaine Wolfe, 65, install shutters on their home in Vero Beach, Fla, Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo: Ellis Rua/AP)
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A supervised work crew of female jail prisoners fills sandbags for distribution to local residents in Titusville, Fla., in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian which is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Labor Day. (Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire)
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A lifeguard moves his chair on a calm and quiet beach in Titusville, Fla., several days ahead of the Hurricane Dorian which is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Labor Day. (Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire)
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Store shelves are empty of bottled water as residents buy supplies in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, in Doral, Fla., Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo: Marcus Lim/AP)
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Tape blocks an entrance at BJ's Wholesale Club to control traffic flow as motorists line up for fuel in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Aug. 29, 2019, in Hialeah, Fla. (Photo: Lynne Sladky/AP)
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A man places a hurricane shutter over a window as he helps prepare a business for the possible arrival of Hurricane Dorian on August 30, 2019 in Miami Beach.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Empty shelves are seen with a sign at Costco stating that the retailer is currently sold out of water ahead of Hurricane Dorian on Aug. 29, 2019, in Davie, Fla. (Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP)
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Tiffany Miranda of Miami Springs stands in line with supplies at a BJ's Wholesale Club Aug. 29, 2019, in Hialeah, Fla. (Photo: Marcus Lim/AP)
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A sign announces for free sandbags distributed by the Seminole County government to its residents before the hurricane Dorian hits Florida in the upcoming days on Aug. 29, 2019 in Casselberry, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
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Shoppers prepare ahead of Hurricane Dorian at The Home Depot on Aug. 29, 2019, in Pembroke Pines, Fla. (Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP)
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Miami, Florida, residents stock up on groceries at a Costco on Aug. 29, 2019, as they prepare for Hurricane Dorian. (Photo: Michele Eve Sandberg/AFP/Getty Images)
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Kimberly Gaston (L) and Madelin Valdez fill sand bags in preparation for the hurricane Dorian on Aug. 29, 2019 in Casselberry, Florida. (Photo: Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
