JOAQUIN Prompts States of Emergency Declarations in 5 States

States of Emergency declared in SC, NC, VA, MD and NJ ahead of hurricane JOAQUIN

JOAQUIN, strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, pounded the central Bahamas with 215 kilometer per hour winds earlier today.

The governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey have declared states of emergency, as of posting, mobilizing the National Guard troops to deal with potential disasters.

The storm, 3rd hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season, was classified as an “extremely dangerous,” by the National Hurricane Center:

8:00 AM EDT Fri Oct 2 –
Location: 23.4°N 74.8°W
Moving: NW at 5 km/hr
Min pressure: 937 mb
Max sustained winds: 215 km/hr (115 knot)

Heavy rain, flooding expected across parts of mid-Atlantic regardless of JOAQUIN forecast track —NHC

The forecast models continue to indicate a track for Hurricane Joaquin offshore of the United States East Coast from the Carolinas to the mid-Atlantic, and the threat of direct impacts from Joaquin in those areas is decreasing. Even if Joaquin remains offshore, strong onshore winds associated with a frontal system will create minor to moderate coastal flooding along parts of the East Coast.