On Sunday, tropical hurricane Dorian reached the Bahamas island nation. Wind gusts of up to 98 meters per second have been measured and the Red Cross estimates that 13,000 households have been seriously damaged or destroyed by the hurricane's progress.

At present, Dorian is over the Northern Bahamas and is classified as category 5, the highest category, says SVT's meteorologist Per Stenborg.

- It moves very slowly further west and into Florida's coast. Then it is thought that the very center of the hurricane, big-eyed, will turn away from the north. The storm eye never comes inland, but it extends along the entire US east coast, he says.

Map of Hurricane Dorian's progress. Photo: SVT Grafik

Hard to give accurate forecast

Dorian is expected to reach Florida's coast during Tuesday morning, Swedish time. The worst scenario, according to Per Stenborg, is if the hurricane stays just off the coast.

- Then it is so close to land that winds, high tide, waves, wind and rain become the strongest. It may be between 100 and 150 millimeters of rain, but it depends on which path the hurricane chooses to take, he says.

There is also a possibility that the hurricane moves further east, further out to sea.

- If it deviates a little further east, then Florida may be successful in many places. But it is very difficult to say what effect it will have, says Per Stenborg.

Remains of Dorian

Until Friday night, Dorian is expected to venture north along the US east coast. It is then expected to move beyond the Atlantic.

- Then it drops the sting and becomes a normal low pressure that we are used to getting in from the Atlantic, says Per Stenborg.

By the end of next week, the Nordic region may feel the remains of Dorian, he believes.

- We will have a part of "ex-Dorian" at the end of next week. It will be included in our forecasts, but really what that means is hard to say. What usually happens is that it gets quite hot, says Per Stenborg.