Hurricane Dorian Pummels Bahamas, Downgraded to Category 4

In this NOAA GOES-East satellite handout image, Hurricane Dorian, now a Cat. 4 storm, moves slowly past Grand Bahama Island on Sept. 2, 2019 in the Atlantic Ocean. NOAA via Getty Images

Hurricane Dorian weakened slightly on Sept. 2 but was still “extremely dangerous,” with maximum sustained winds nearing 145 mph and packing even stronger gusts, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced.

Dorian was downgraded to a Category 4 storm from Category 5, according to the NHC, which noted that despite a “gradual weakening” forecast, the storm is “expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days.”