But over the next 24 hours, “some fluctuations in intensity are possible due to eyewall-replacement cycles”, the National Hurricane Center said in an update posted today (Oct. 2) at 11 a.m. EDT.
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Officials said rescue crews had not been able to re-establish communications with the crew on Thursday or Friday.
Parts of those states are also expected to get a lot of heavy rain – not associated with Joaquin – that could cause widespread flooding. By Thursday evening, there were already reports of floods in a few spots along the coast.
Joaquin has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and hurricane-force winds extending 50 miles out from the center, the Hurricane Center said. Other weather systems affecting Joaquin will be in slightly different positions as a result.
“A strong majority of forecast models is now in agreement on a track farther away from the United States East Coast”, the National Hurricane Center told Reuters.
On Friday, the hurricane tore off roofs, uprooted trees and unleashed heavy flooding in the Bahamas, and the U.S. coast guard said it was searching for a missing 735ft cargo ship with 33 people aboard.
The latest tracking maps show the powerful Category 4 storm staying well offshore after it leaves the island chain, which is expected to happen sometime on late Friday or early Saturday morning. We expect sunshine to return as early as Monday along with warmer temperatures which will extend through Thursday!
Joaquin continues to slowly move through the Bahamas, but the system is now moving northwestward and it’s forward speed is expected to pick up during the next 12 hours.
The hurricane is unlikely to make direct landfall, but forecasters are warning of flash floods from historic Charleston, South Carolina, to Washington, D.C., and officials in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia are bracing for the worst.
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. Regardless of Joaquin’s track, a prolonged period of elevated water levels and large waves will affect the mid-Atlantic region, causing significant beach and dune erosion with moderate coastal flooding likely.
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The Southeast could see up to 20 inches of rain, with South Carolina bearing the brunt of flooding, CNN meteorologists say. One of the world’s most respected hurricane modeling products had Joaquin going out to sea almost from its beginnings, while numerous other models had it hitting the mid-Atlantic.
