Joaquin strengthened significantly Thursday and continues to hover near the Bahamas.
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The centre says it expects to have a better indication whether the storm is going to be a concern over land on Friday afternoon.
The eastward shift in the track of Hurricane Joaquin continued Friday morning with the updated 5am forecast track from the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Joaquin was moving slowly through the Bahamas on Friday morning with winds of 130 miles per hour.
Hurricane Joaquin probably won’t be a threat to the U.S.as it turns north in the Atlantic away from the Bahamas, where it’s battering the islands with winds that fell to 125 miles (200 kilometers) per hour.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the remainder of the southeastern Bahamas including the Turks and Caicos Islands, Andros Island and the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Los Tunas, Holguin, and Guantanamo.
The Category 4 storm remains near the Bahamas tonight and is likely to batter the islands “well into Friday”, the agency says.
The governors of New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland all declared states of emergency and announced various measures, including the mobilisation of National Guard troops, in preparation for the storm.
Joaquin is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 12 to 18 inches over the central Bahamas with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches.
A new video of the hurricane taken by NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement satellite shows a 3D view of how the storm grew and changed on Tuesday (Sept. 29).
Hurricane Joaquin is increasingly looking like it will dodge New York City and most of the U.S., but the East Coast will likely be pummelled by rain all weekend anyway. Tropical-storm force winds extend out up to 205 miles.
Joaquin could still cause flooding, rough surf and strong rip currents along the coast.
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While a direct hit to Massachusetts or anywhere along the East Coast is unlikely at this point, we will be feeling the effects of it here in Massachusetts, especially on Cape Cod even if the storm is further offshore.
