Tropical Storm Joaquin Becomes Hurricane - from TRUNEWS

Tropical Storm Joaquin officially became the third hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season on Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service reported as of 8 am eastern time, Joaquin carried sustained winds of 75 mph as it approaches the Bahamas.  Forecasters are not certain the storm will hit the US mainland, but if it stays on its current path, it would make landfall in the mid-Atlantic region some time Monday.

National Weather Service map showing potential tropical storm force winds through Monday. Courtesy NWS.

The Weather Channel posted a map with a series of tracking models showing that Cape Hatteras, North Carolina would be a likely landing position for most paths.  That conflicts with the National Weather Service, which released a map of potential tropical storm force winds sideswiping the Eastern Seaboard.

While not bringing hurricane force winds, it would bring significant amounts of rainfall and could cause severe flash flooding from South Carolina through Massachusetts.  Residents were encouraged to prepare for a heavy storm that could knock out power and block roads.

Forecasters point out that the storm has a very unstable track to this point and it will be hard to be certain the storm’s final path along the US coastline.  A cold front near the East Coast will have an impact on the storm’s movement north.

 

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