On the surface, Hurricane Dorian looks like a real bad hat. It blasted the Abaco Islands in the northwestern Bahamas, and then traversed Grand Bahama, first as a Category 5 monster and then as a Category 4 (monster). It stalled over Grand Bahama for nearly two days, subjecting the island to multiple tidal surges that left Freeport International Airport under six feet of water.

But Dorian will also go down as one of the greatest triumphs ever in hurricane forecasting, and that success bodes well for the future.

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