WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The "catastrophic" Hurricane Dorian, now reaching the highest Category 5, made a landfall on Elbow Cay in Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update Sunday.

The NHC said Drian is "the strongest hurricane in modern records for the northwestern Bahamas," and that it made a landfall at 12:40 p.m. ET, with winds increasing to 185 miles (295 km) per hour.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the NHC said in an advisory note. "Residents there should take immediate shelter."

Wind gusts, which usually have speeds higher than the maximum sustained wind speed, is over 220 miles (354 km) per hour, and storm surge could range from "18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves," the NHC said.

Projecting Dorian's exact path is difficult, with different models pointing to varying paths. Forecasters now expects Dorian to make landfall in the Carolinas in the middle of the week, causing further havoc in the region.

"There is an increasing risk of strong winds and dangerous storm surge along the coast of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina later this week," the NHC said in an earlier alert. "Residents in these areas should continue to monitor the progress of Dorian."

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a state of emergency Friday that waives certain transportation restrictions to help farmers and support relief efforts in advance of the storm.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has also declared a state of emergency, asking residents to prepare supplies enough to sustain seven days.

"This is now a Category 5," President Donald Trump said of Dorian when speaking to reporters as he returned from Camp David to the White House on Sunday. "It seems to be one of the biggest hurricanes we've ever seen, and that's a problem."

Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Anything of or above Category 3 is considered a "major" hurricane.

When a Category 5 hurricane hits, a high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse, according to the explanation of the wind scale categorization. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas.

Furthermore, power outages will last from weeks to possibly months, and most of the affected area will be uninhabitable for that duration or longer.