On Monday, September 29, Tropical Storm Joaquin formed to the north and east of the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean. It took Joaquin only 33 hours to strengthen into a grade 4 storm as it moved southwest towards the Bahamas. As of 11:00 AM on Friday, October 2, Joaquin had maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour (a low-end grade 4 storm), and it was roughly 70 miles south of San Salvador Island on the Bahamas.

Joaquin set its sights on the East Coast of the United States, but as of the National Hurricane Center’s 11:00 AM advisory issued on October 2, Joaquin is expected to veer out to sea and lose its tropical characteristics early next week. Just because the Eastern seaboard was spared from Joaquin’s wrath doesn’t mean that it is in the clear.

A complex low pressure system, which is unrelated to Joaquin, will batter the Southeast with life-threatening flooding caused by tropical moisture. Eastern Georgia, most of South Carolina and parts of North Carolina could see at least a foot of rain through this weekend, and our area can expect gusty winds and up to an inch of rain. These winds will not be as strong as Hurricane Sandy’s winds, forecasters are expecting 20 to 30 MPH winds with gusts possibly reaching 40 MPH. Power outages, if any, will be very sporadic. The rain is expected to move out of our area by Saturday, October 3.

Even though Joaquin is going to steer clear of our area, it will indirectly impact the East Coast. As Joaquin veers out to sea, it will bring very high surf to much of the East Coast. Coastal Flood Warnings have been issued for most of the Jersey Shore, where beach erosion and coastal flooding are likely. This is going to be a concern for those who own property down the shore.

New Jersey will be spared of the affects of what could have been the third devastating hurricane to hit the area in five years, but the Bahamas and the Southeast are not as lucky.