Maps: Track Hurricane Dorian's Path – The New York Times, The New York Times

Hurricane Dorian was downgraded to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday, after itbattered the Bahamasand forecasters continued to warn of severe hurricane conditions across Florida and the southeastern coast of the United States.

For the latest updates on the storm,follow our live coverage.

The storm finally began to move away from the Bahamas on Tuesday, after spendingseveral days pounding the country. The composite animation below shows the storm’s movement since Thursday and is based on satellite imagery.

A hurricane warning was extended to about 180 miles of the Florida coast. The storm is also projected to approach South Carolina and Georgia as a major hurricane. In North Carolina, state officials warned that heavy rain could cause dangerous flooding beginning Wednesday evening.

Storm surge was expected from Florida to North Carolinaas of Tuesday, and could cause ruinous flooding and wipe out roads and beaches.

Predicting Dorian’s path has beenparticularly challenging for meteorologists. The National Hurricane Center uses various models that show where the storm could go using different forecasting techniques.

The map below shows the official forecast of National Hurricane Center compared to simulations from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which are generated by running their forecast model many times using a range of initial conditions.

On Friday, President Trump approved an emergency declaration for Florida, giving the state increased federal support and resources. On Saturday, with the predicted path of the storm now changed, thegovernor of South Carolina declared a state of emergencyas well, followed by similar declarations for North Carolina and parts of Georgia. With the lack of clarity on where the storm will hit, Florida residentswrestled with the question of whether to stay or evacuate.

For latest updates on Hurricane Dorian,follow our live coverage.