Hurricane heads for Florida after brushing Caribbean Island

The eye of Dorian, a category one hurricane, has missed the main island of Puerto Rico.  Hurricane moved out over open waters early Thursday after doing limited damage in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

The US territory’s smaller islands, Vieques and Culetra, are being battered by heavy rain and high winds.

Dorian is considerably less powerful than the hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico two years ago.

However, The Category 1 storm, which was headed out into the Atlantic Ocean late Wednesday, expected to become a first major hurricane to threaten the East Coast of the United States this season, with forecasters predicting a direct hit on Florida.

Florida declared a state of emergency on Wednesday. Governor Ron DeSantis said it was “important for Floridians on the East Coast to monitor this storm closely”.

However, experts say it is too early to say exactly where or when it could arrive.

Dennis Feltgen, a National Hurricane Center meteorologist in Miami, told news agency AP that  the storm could land anywhere from South Florida to South Carolina.