Weather Update: Rain, drizzle overnight; revised track for Joaquin

The forecast models continue to indicate a track offshore of the US east coast from the Carolinas to the mid-Atlantic states, and the threat of direct impacts from Joaquin in those areas is decreasing.

The 735-foot cargo ship El Faro, pictured above, went missing October. 1, 2015, in Hurricane Joaquin near Crooked Island, Bahamas.

A U.S. Coast Guard plane was “searching for missing 737′ container ship w/ crew of 33 near eye of #Hurricane #Joaquin”, the guard said Friday on Twitter.

The last message the Coast Guard received from the crew was that the ship had taken on water, but that they had managed to contain the flooding. In previous years it had called on Port Everglades but that’s no longer the case, the company said.

The El Faro was en route from Jacksonville to San Juan Puerto Rico when it began taking on water, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss.

“Two Air Force C-130 Hurricane Hunter aircrews have also attempted to locate and reestablish communications with the El Faro but so far any attempts have been unsuccessful”.

Our area was in a lull from the wet weather, after periods of heavy rain and strong winds left a mess throughout the region Wednesday.

“We are growing increasingly concerned about the situation in South Carolina, western North Carolina and perhaps even in northeast Georgia”, said David Novak, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the Cuban government has issued a tropical storm warning for several provinces as Hurricane Joaquin barrels through the Bahamas with 130-mph (210 kph) winds.

Meanwhile, across the Bahamas, Hurricane Joaquin destroyed houses, uprooted trees and unleashed heavy flooding.

MeteoGroup forecaster Sean Penston said: “Forecast models now show Joaquin tracking into the North Atlantic away from the US”.

Hurricane Joaquin has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane but is considered to be a threat to the Island, according to the Bermuda Weather Service.

As much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain may fall across the central Bahamas, and in isolated cases as much as 25, which could cause life-threatening flash floods.

Despite the more favourable outlook, the Miami-based USA forecasters said Joaquin could still cause flooding from South Carolina to New England.

Earlier this week, the governors of New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland declared states of emergency and announced measures including mobilization of National Guard troops in preparation for the storm.