Post by Admin on Sept 30, 2015 19:01:41 GMT -4
Hurricane Joaquin Is Heading for the East Coast — and Maybe New York
By Jaime Fuller
Hmm. That doesn't look good.
Remember yesterday when New York City was supposed to get seven days of rain, with maybe a tropical-storm denouement? Those were the good days.
Overnight, Tropical Storm Joaquin got much bigger, windier, and intense and became the third hurricane of the season at around eight o'clock on Wednesday morning. The hurricane now rates as Category 1, and it may get even stronger by the end of the week, when meteorologists are forecasting it might hit the East Coast, bringing potentially massive amounts of rain and wind, as well as flood warnings. As of Wednesday evening, the National Hurricane Center thinks that Joaquin could become a scary Category 3 hurricane by Saturday — although it would most likely weaken before reaching land.
New York City could get up to a foot of rain, and many areas have already seen an inch of rain fall because of Tuesday night's storm.
The forecasts are still pretty unclear about where the hurricane might hit land; currently every state between North Carolina and Connecticut is in the danger zone. According to this depiction, the potential path of the hurricane looks kind of like someone spilled a bowl of spaghetti on a map of the East Coast:
As the current forecast shows, Hurricane Joaquin is currently projected to land ... anywhere. Photo: The Weather Channel
The National Weather Service's graphic is more reminiscent of an early '80s video game:
The National Hurricane Center's forecast became considerably more ominous by the end of the day. "A significant adjustment to the forecast has been made this afternoon," the 5 p.m. update reads, "and this shows an increased threat to the mid-Atlantic states and the Carolinas. However, confidence in the details of the forecast after 72 hours remains low, since we have one normally excellent model that keeps Joaquin far away from the United States east coast. The range of possible outcomes is still large, and includes the possibility of a major hurricane landfall in the Carolinas."
Joaquin Upgraded To Category 1 Hurricane
In this handout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Joaquin is seen churning in the Caribbean September 30. Photo: NOAA
The forecast adds that "a hurricane watch for a portion of the U.S. coast could be required as early as Thursday evening."
There is a chance — albeit a small one — that the hurricane will spiral out into the Atlantic Ocean instead of hitting the coast.
Hurricane Joaquin is currently headed toward the Bahamas; the country has issued hurricane warnings across its islands. The National Hurricane Center warns that "Preparations to protect life and property within the warning areas in the Bahamas should be rushed to completion."
According to NBC New York, the city is already preparing for the impending storm, and the White House has said that FEMA is also watching the storm and that President Obama had been briefed on the situation.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is warning everyone to start getting ready.
