Riding the Atlantic Tiger

Here Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane expert and meteorologist at Colorado State University, demonstrates how dangerous Dorian really is.

Since 1950, only 3 Atlantic hurricanes have had max winds stronger than Hurricane Dorian's current max winds of 180 mph: Allen (1980): Max winds of 190 mph Gilbert (1988): Max winds of 185 mph Wilma (2005): Max winds of 185 mph 

"Only one hurricane has made continental US landfall with winds this strong: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 (185 mph max winds)." 

"Only two hurricanes have made continental US landfall with a lower pressure than Hurricane Dorian's current pressure of 913 hPa. Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 (892 hPa) and Camille of 1969 (900 hPa)." 

"Dorian now has the strongest winds (180 mph) for a hurricane this far north (26.5°N) in the Atlantic east of Florida on record." 

"The strongest hurricane landfalls in the Atlantic basin not in the continental US since 1985 are 180 mph landfalls by Hurricane Irma in 2017 on Barbuda, St. Martin and the British Virgin Islands. Unfortunately, it looks like Hurricane Dorian may join that infamous list shortly."