Hurricane Dorian Sending Logistics Teams Into High Gear

Hurricane Dorian is north of Puerto Rico, moving over the warm open waters of the western Atlantic as a Category 1 hurricane. Maximum sustained winds are at 85 mph, but Dorian could increase in strength and size over the next few days. There's still a good chance of a Labor Day landfall on Florida's "Space Coast" near Cape Canaveral, but it could strike to the north or south of this area. By then, winds may be at least 111 mph (Category 3), which qualifies as a "major" hurricane. Even though possible landfall is days away, logistics companies are already pre-positioning and truckloads of bottled water have already been tendered into Florida from other states. Brokers, as well as carriers and their drivers, will be busy through the holiday weekend and possibly beyond if Dorian becomes as destructive as expected.

Trucking loads into Florida today, August 29, shouldn't be a problem weather-wise. The only region of severe weather will be from portions of Kansas and Nebraska stretching to Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. Watch out for areas of torrential rainfall, large hail and gusty winds in places such as Topeka, Wichita, Lincoln, Omaha, Kansas City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Chicago, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids. Localized flash flooding could shut down some secondary roads or interstate ramps.

SONAR Critical Events: Tropical Storm Dorian as of Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

The latest update on Dorian from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), issued at 11:00 a.m. EDT today, said Dorian was centered about 370 miles east of the southeastern Bahamas. It's heading toward the northwest at 13 mph. A west-northwestward motion is forecast to begin by Friday night and continue into the weekend.  On this track, Dorian should move over the Atlantic well east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and on Friday, approach the northwestern Bahamas Saturday, and move near or over portions of the northwest Bahamas on Sunday. This will be followed by landfall on the U.S. mainland on September 2 (Labor Day).

At this point, Dorian could make landfall anywhere from Miami, Florida to Brunswick, Georgia, as indicated by the various forecast models on the FreightWaves SONAR map above. But the current forecast has the eye striking near Vero Beach, Florida, about 50 miles south of Cape Canaveral. Rainfall amounts of four to eight inches in portions of the southeastern U.S., with pocket of up to 12 inches, are possible and would cause significant flooding. Wind damage in the U.S.-affected areas could be extensive or catastrophic. The NHC has no coastal watches or warnings posted for the U.S. or the Bahamas at this time, but this will likely change soon.

This is a developing story. FreightWaves will continue monitoring Hurricane Dorian's progress on our SONAR Critical Events, as well as the response from government agencies and logistics companies.

Have a great day, and be careful out there!

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