Syrian regime or russian jets or helicopters in the air, the children come down here and take shelter. Dickerson the tragic death of a racer known as the fastest woman on four wheels. And semper fi the extraordinary way two marines conquered a mountain. This is the cbs evening news with norah odonnell. Dickerson good evening. Norah is off tonight. Im john dickerson. This is our western edition. Hurricane dorian shifted course today and is now expected to intensify into a major category 3, targeting Floridas Atlantic coast over the labor day weekend. The storm is on track to slam ashore late sunday with 115 mileperhour winds, heavy rain, and a massive surge of sea water. Puerto rico and the Virgin Islands were lashed today with gusts nearly 100 miles an hour. The hurricane will only get stronger as it churns across that warm ocean water. David begnaud begins our coverage in puerto rico. Reporter dorian became a hurricane right before it made a direct hit on the u. S. Virgin islands this
Defense secretary breaking his silence and issuing a warning about the u. S. Being at risk. First, we begin with that breaking news out of puerto rico, islands getting ready to take a direct hit from Tropical Storm dorian and florida could be next. The storm is forecast to strengthen into a category 3 hurricane in the coming days and could make landfall in florida by this labor day weekend. Our meteorologist chad myers is here with the latest. Chad, dorians track has significantly changed shall from what i understand, in a short period of time. What can you tell us about the latest . Boy, it sure has, alex. This time yesterday, the forecast was just to the west of ponce. Now the center is going to miss, really, puerto rico all together and make that hit right over the u. S. Virgin islands, right over charlotte. Its not the Hurricane Centers problem, not their fault. This storm was very undecided on where it went, its eye or her eye to be. It wiggled and wobbled and moved to the north.
Meteorologist chad mayors wiyer the path. It has changed and it is dangerous. It has changed. And we talk about the models, the american model and european model and how one does better than the other. But they both have been junk. Im not kidding. Not their own fault. Theres something going on in the atmosphere that they dont see that those models dont know about. And for me thats my tool, so i have to be able to use my tool to tell you whats going to happen. Whether its right or wrong, i feel like im pounding at a nail with a pipe wrench though. The tools today in the last couple days have been terrible. But sheer what weve been seeing. Yesterday at this time, we were over st. Lucia and the forecast was Something Like that. No. Nowhere near that. Look at what has happened to the storm. What could possibly forecast this . Then this . Then this . And then back . There was a time yesterday yesterday around 8 00 in the morning where the Hurricane Hunter aircraft couldnt even find the cent
This. You still have a couple of days before you leave on your friday journey. But you dont want to be there on saturday and the police tell you youve got to get out. Theres your storm right there, st. Croix, the center of circulation. As soon as the center of circulation gets completely closed thats when we know this storm is going to start to breathe by itself and get stronger quickly. I just a 62 mile per hour gusts, 6 to 10 inches of rainfall across parts of puerto rico especially the eastern half, and then it moves towards the u. S. There are models that will miss the u. S. , but there are also models as you mentioned, guys, that take it well above a category 2 on its way towards the u. S. East coast. Well keep you advised. This is still five days away. A long time for those things to change their mind. Five days away for florida, georgia, maybe South Carolina but just hours away from puerto rico. Chad myers, thank you very much. Still dangerous and shifting puerto rico still reco
The airports are simply covered with a water. So the water has got to pass and recede before they can hope to land there in fixed wings. We did hear from emergency relief officials in the bahamas a short time ago they are doing some boat rescues. The u. S. Coast guard and british navy and they have been able to land some helicopters there. We have learned of some fatalities, that number could go up and they are able to reach more areas. As the storm moves closer it has been this excruciating waiting game because the speed of this storm has been really historically slow. You can walk faster than this storm is moving were told. But the idea we just have no idea of what the bahamas are going to look like once the storm passes and its so scary to think of those water rescues happening right now. Were also learning new details from Southern California where 34 people are feared dead from this inferno onboard a dive boat. All five crew members made it out alive, and now there are questions a