Hurricane Dorian Makes a Final Stop in the US Before Making Landfall in Canada

Extensive storm damage in Emerald Isle, N.C., after a tornado touched down, on Sept. 5, 2019. Daniel Shepherd/CNN

Hurricane Dorian made one final stop in the United States on Saturday, Sept. 7 as it races through the Atlantic Ocean for another expected landfall in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Before crossing the border, the Category 1 storm is unloading rain and tropical storm force winds in southeastern Massachusetts over the weekend. At about 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) Saturday, Dorian is expected to make landfall in Nova Scotia, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.

The storm’s nearly two-week path has unleashed devastation in the Bahamas, where it flattened homes and swept away neighborhoods, leaving at least 43 people dead.

In the United States, several cities were cleaning up after it made landfall in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and brushed other East Coast states Friday. Five deaths have been blamed on the storm so far.

Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department chief Albert O’Neal boats down Sunset Drive on his way to seek out islanders stranded in their flooded homes in the aftermath of Hurricane. Dorian, on Ocracoke Island, N.C., on Sept. 6, 2019. Connie Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer via AP

By late Saturday morning, it was 205 miles south-southeast of Eastport, Maine, and about 215 miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the National Weather Service said. It was moving northeast at 29 mph packing maximum winds of 85 mph.

In New England, the main concern is the high surf advisories for people along the coast as the storms move out, Shackelford said.

Extensive storm damage after a Hurricane Dorian touched down, Emerald Isle, N.C., on Sept. 5, 2019. Daniel Shepherd/CNN

“Some areas can see 18 to 20 feet breaking waves, so even the strongest swimmers are warned to be cautious of high waves. Swimmers are also advised to be cautious of rip currents, which can rapidly pull swimmers out to deeper waters,” Shackelford said.

Widespread regions of the East Coast can expect wind gusts of up to 30 mph throughout the day Saturday with some areas such as Nantucket potentially seeing wind gusts of between 58 mph and 73 mph, which prompted the cancellation of ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts.

The Steamship Authority said ferries to the two islands will not be running Saturday morning because of the weather conditions, but some service is scheduled to resume in the afternoon and evening.

Eversource reported more than 1,000 power outages in and around Cape Cod on Saturday morning.

Beaufort Police Officer Curtis Resor, left, and Sgt. Micheal Stephens check a sailboat for occupants in Beaufort, N.C. after Hurricane Dorian passed the North Carolina coast on Sept. 6, 2019. Tom Copeland/AP Photo

In addition to the winds, some areas along the coast will get drenched with up to three inches of rainfall throughout the day.

Flooding on North Carolina Barrier Islands

Floodwaters are receding on North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island after Dorian hit, easing concerns for people stuck in their homes for most of the day.

“There are people that have had knee to waist-deep water in their houses,”resident Jason Wells told CNN.“Several people were rescued from their upper floors or attics by boat, or from Good Samaritans.”

Since Thursday, Dorian has flooded parts of the Carolinas and spawned several tornadoes, as well as lashed Virginia with winds and rain.

A man carries a dog through floodwaters in Larchmont after Hurricane Dorian brought heavy wind and rain to Norfolk, Va., on Sept. 6, 2019. Kaitlin McKeown/The Virginian-Pilot via AP

Between 10 and 15 inches of rain fell in parts of North and South Carolina this week, the National Weather Service said.

North Carolina Division of highways crews work to clear the beach road to Hatteras Island, N.C., on Sept. 7, 2019. Steve Helber/AP Photo

The Associated Press contributed to this report.