Hurricane Dorian—the science behind the dangerous storm

Experts explain the natural phenomena behind the storm, whether it’s connected to climate change, and how sea level rise plays a role.

A relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season will end this weekend when Hurricane Dorian makes landfall in the U.S. on Monday afternoon.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that Dorian will hit the central east coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds.

Hurricane Dorian is a meteorologically challenging storm to predict. Its relatively small size so far, and its position, mean it can quickly weaken or intensify—or change tracks altogether, experts say.

As of Friday morning, Dorian was a Category 2 in the eastern Caribbean barreling toward the northern Bahaman Islands and central Florida.

Here’s what we know so far, and what experts think is likely.

Hurricanes move like pebbles in a stream,” says Philip Klotzbach, a

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