Keys officials who asked tourists to leave because of Dorian now say please come back

In a testament to how fast tropical storm forecasts change, Florida Keys officials Saturday said it is safe for visitors to remain in the archipelago and that those planning to visit in the coming days should come on down.

“The National Hurricane Center has removed all of the Florida Keys from the Hurricane Dorian forecast error track providing Keys officials the opportunity Saturday to welcome visitors to travel to the island chain,” Andy Newman, spokesman for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, said in a press release.

The statement is an about-face from Friday afternoon, when the Tourist Development Council asked visitors to leave. The agency also asked those with immediate plans to visit to postpone their trips.

That’s because on Friday, the National Weather Center forecast Hurricane Dorian would make landfall early Tuesday morning around Palm Beach and Martin counties. But, by Saturday morning, forecasters tracked the storm staying offshore and skirting the east coast instead.

If Dorian had kept to Friday’s forecast, meteorologists expected the Keys would experience tropical storm-force winds between 39 and 73 mph.

Now, Chip Kasper, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service’s Key West office, said in the press release that the Keys may feel some strong wind gusts from some fast-moving squalls as Dorian’s center moves farther north into the Atlantic Ocean.

“Threats to the Keys from the storm have significantly diminished,” Kasper said.

Dorian is still a very powerful Category 4 storm and is expected to gain strength as it moves westward. It is predicted to batter portions of the northwestern Bahamas before approaching Florida’s coast between Monday and Tuesday.

Global hurricane models Saturday track the storm moving farther east than earlier predictions, with the center staying offshore. But, forecasters say storm surge and hurricane-force winds could be experienced along Florida’s coast by the early to middle part of the week.

This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Keys officials who asked tourists to leave because of Dorian now say please come back."