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As it approached the Bahamas, the storm grew larger, with winds extending up to 45 miles from the center. Its core was expected to move slowly — six m.p.h. — across Grand Bahama Island throughout much of Monday. Along with the storm surge, Dorian was forecast to dump as much as two feet of rain in some areas.

“These hazards will cause extreme destruction in the affected areas and will continue for several hours,” the hurricane center warned late Sunday.

In a region that prides itself on withstanding powerful storms, the Bahamas has revamped its building code and stepped up enforcement to prepare for such storms. But the combination of Dorian’s slow pace, furious wind speeds and heavy rainfall with the low-lying islands’ vulnerability to flooding raised fears of huge losses.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, who had warned that 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes could be affected, urged residents of the Grand Bahama Island on Sunday to move to safer ground in the main city of Freeport. On the Abaco Islands, parts of the main city of Marsh Harbour flooded.

“As a physician, I have been trained to withstand many things — but never anything like this,” Dr. Minnis said during a news conference. “This is a deadly storm and a monster storm.”