In late August 2019, meteorologists were monitoring a tropical wave of increasing intensity in the central At- lantic Ocean. Evolving into a tropical storm, "Dorian" moved rapidly west, achieving hurricane status on Aug. 28 as it passed north of the Greater Antilles. Over the following days, the storm continued to intensify, reaching its peak as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 185 mph. (For a primer on cyclonic storms, see "Hurricanes and Aviation," BCA, June 2019, page 38.) On Sept. 1, Dorian made landfall in the Abaco chain of the northern Bahamas; a few hours later, it enveloped Grand Bahama island, as well. And there, the monster storm stalled for more than 24 hr., unleashing unrelenting rainfall, wind gusts up to 220 mph, and storm surges as high as 20 ft.
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