Hurricane Joaquin Projected Path Impacts Bahamas Tonight: Hurricane Center

A hurricane warning was posted for Eleuthera as well as San Salvador, Cat Island and Rum Cay, with the threat of storm surges, coastal flooding and 5-10 inches (13-25 centimeters) of rain, said Geoffrey Greene, a senior forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department.

Joaquin was upgraded to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 132 miles per hour Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. A hurricane watch could be required for portions of the US coast as early as Thursday evening. Hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles from the center of the storm and slightly weaker tropical-force winds were measured more than 200 miles away.

Additional strengthening is expected, with a few fluctuations in intensity Thursday night and Friday, and Joaquin will bring big waves and rough surf to Central Florida’s coast. But “we can not yet completely rule out direct impacts along on the east coast, and residents there should continue to follow the progress of Joaquin over the next couple of days”, the NHC warned.

This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, September 30, 2015, at 9:45 AM EDT shows Hurricane Joaquin just east of the Bahamas.

Periods of heavy rain and gusty winds are expected in the Triad Friday night and through Saturday and Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center’s latest Hurricane Joaquin Projected Path update reveals that the storm will strike the Bahamas tonight.

The European forecast model, which three years ago was the first one to latch on to the idea that Sandy would make a last-minute jog to the west before making landfall, has been calling for Joaquin to go out to sea.

The GFS’s earlier prediction that the storm would make landfall in the United States ran counter to the European model, which has been consistently saying the hurricane would remain largely over water.

However, south-central Pennsylvania likely will not see damaging winds and flooding as many feared could be the case as the hurricane continues north. Friday, expect rain, mainly after 3 p.m., and a high temperature of 58 degrees. Auto dealerships in Raleigh spent much of the day Thursday moving their inventory to higher ground.

That’s why officials from South Carolina to New England have issued dire warnings to residents urging them to be ready. However, Joaquin is a tough one to forecast.