Dorian's Winds Already 140mph, With Mar-a-Lago in Its Path

President Trump's prized Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida could be directly in the path of Hurricane Dorian, which officially reached the "extremely dangerous" Category 4 status Friday night and is expected to be extremely destructive. The National Hurricane Center's most recent track for Dorian places Mar-a-Lago in the crosshairs of a fierce storm; as of Friday evening, winds were already clocking 140mph. The hurricane could wallop the state with even higher winds and torrential rains late Monday or early Tuesday. The forecasters said the hurricane poses a menace to millions, particularly along Florida's heavily populated eastern coast, though they also noted that some of the more reliable computer models are predicting a late turn northward that would have Dorian hug the coast, delivering a glancing blow to the state.

The resort, currently closed for the summer, is on the wealthy barrier island of Palm Beach. No activity could be seen there Friday afternoon and the Trump Organization did not return a call seeking comment. On Friday, Trump was asked how concerned he was about the hurricane threat to his resort and responded: "Well, you know I haven't even thought about until the question was just broached a little while ago. Yeah, it would look like Mar-a-Lago is dead center but look Mar-a-Lago can handle itself. That's a very powerful place." Mar-a-Lago, which dates from the 1920s, was built by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, with the main mansion containing 126 rooms. Trump bought the place in 1985. Walt Disney World is also in Dorian's crosshairs, but with the storm days away and its track uncertain, Disney and other major resorts held off announcing any closings, and Florida authorities ordered no immediate mass evacuations. (Dorian could make landfall in darkness—a dangerous prospect.)