Hurricane Joaquin Strengthens Off Bahamas
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hurricane Joaquin strengthened once again early Thursday, packing 120 mph winds as it approached the Bahamas — but forecasters remained divided on exactly how it would impact the United States.
The hurricane, which earlier became a Category 3, was about 65 miles southeast of San Salvador at 5 a.m. ET, moving at about 5 mph.
The American forecast model predicts Joaquin will veer northwestward, ramming into Virginia, Maryland or North Carolina this weekend. But the European forecast model suggests Joaquin will avoid the East Coast entirely.
Regardless of its path, the East Coast is in for a weekend of severe weather. The governors of Virginia and North Carolina have already urged residents to prepare for the possibility of flooding.
Virginia was bracing for up to 10 inches of rain total Thursday and Friday. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday declared a state of emergency, and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory ordered state agencies to prepare for floods.
"I cannot stress enough the imperative for Virginians to focus on the rainstorms that are headed our way [Thursday] and Friday, well before Hurricane Joaquin could potentially impact Virginia," McAuliffe said. "The forecast of up to 10 inches of rain in areas across Virginia could result in floods, power outages and a serious threat to life and property."
In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, officials were hoping sandbags protect the town if the hurricane strikes the Outer Banks. "It could be some resemblance of what Sandy offered us, and we've learned some lessons from that," Kitty Hawk Mayor Gary Perry said.
Joaquin's path depends in part on whether a separate storm system forming over the southeastern US is close enough to Joaquin to pull it towards the East Coast, Weather Channel senior meteorologist Kevin Roth said.
If the southeastern storm is farther away, closer to Alabama, the storm system could instead push the hurricane away from the East Coast and out to sea, he said.
"Anybody from, I would say, Charleston, South Carolina, all the way up through the northern East Coast — you've got to really pay attention," Roth said.
Disney Cruise Line rerouted a ship headed toward Nassau in anticipation of the hurricane, and said the vessel would go to Key West instead. Another Disney ship out of Port Canaveral will have its itinerary rerouted. Carnival Cruise Lines also modified the routes of two cruises, the company said.
Authorities in the Bahamas fear storm surges, coastal flooding and 5-10 inches of rain, said Geoffrey Greene, a senior forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department. "We would be very concerned about them," Greene said of the eastern islands.
Hurricane Joaquin strengthened once again early Thursday, packing 120 mph winds as it approached the Bahamas — but forecasters remained divided on exactly how it would impact the United States.
The hurricane, which earlier became a Category 3, was about 65 miles southeast of San Salvador at 5 a.m. ET, moving at about 5 mph.
""It could be some resemblance of what Sandy offered us""
The American forecast model predicts Joaquin will veer northwestward, ramming into Virginia, Maryland or North Carolina this weekend. But the European forecast model suggests Joaquin will avoid the East Coast entirely.
Regardless of its path, the East Coast is in for a weekend of severe weather. The governors of Virginia and North Carolina have already urged residents to prepare for the possibility of flooding.
Virginia was bracing for up to 10 inches of rain total Thursday and Friday. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday declared a state of emergency, and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory ordered state agencies to prepare for floods.
"I cannot stress enough the imperative for Virginians to focus on the rainstorms that are headed our way [Thursday] and Friday, well before Hurricane Joaquin could potentially impact Virginia," McAuliffe said. "The forecast of up to 10 inches of rain in areas across Virginia could result in floods, power outages and a serious threat to life and property."
In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, officials were hoping sandbags protect the town if the hurricane strikes the Outer Banks. "It could be some resemblance of what Sandy offered us, and we've learned some lessons from that," Kitty Hawk Mayor Gary Perry told NBC station WAVY.
Joaquin's path depends in part on whether a separate storm system forming over the southeastern US is close enough to Joaquin to pull it towards the East Coast, Weather Channel senior meteorologist Kevin Roth said.
If the southeastern storm is farther away, closer to Alabama, the storm system could instead push the hurricane away from the East Coast and out to sea, he said.
"Anybody from, I would say, Charleston, South Carolina, all the way up through the northern East Coast — you've got to really pay attention," Roth said.
Disney Cruise Line rerouted a ship headed toward Nassau in anticipation of the hurricane, and said the vessel would go to Key West instead. Another Disney ship out of Port Canaveral will have its itinerary rerouted. Carnival Cruise Lines also modified the routes of two cruises, the company said.
Authorities in the Bahamas fear storm surges, coastal flooding and 5-10 inches of rain, said Geoffrey Greene, a senior forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department. "We would be very concerned about them," Greene said of the eastern islands.
On Eleuthera, a narrow strip to the north of Cat Island in the Bahamas, people were removing stray coconuts and other debris from their yards and putting up storm shutters in blustery winds, Chris Gosling, who runs a volunteer ambulance service on the island, told The Associated Press.
"People don't panic too much. There's nothing you can do about it. If it comes, it comes and you do what you can," said Gosling, who has lived on Eleuthera for 27 years. "If the forecast is right we will get some wind and rain and it will go back out to sea.
