UPDATE: A nasty coastal storm with nor'easter-like conditions is expected to bring pummeling rains, extensive coastal flooding and beach erosion to the tri-state area as the National Hurricane Center indicates Joaquin will spare the East Coast and head out to sea.
Joaquin is lashing the Bahamas as a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane, but it appears to be on track to head out to sea afterward, likely missing the East Coast altogether, while another storm system is poised to slide up the coast even sooner and soak the tri-state over the weekend, Storm Team 4 says.
The tri-state area is still within the cone of uncertainty of Joaquin, but remains on the west side of the hurricane path -- the drier side -- as the hurricane trends better offshore.
Track the storm using our interactive radar here.
Regardless of Joaquin, the area will see a soaking coastal storm over the weekend with wind, rain and coastal flooding, and the Jersey Shore is expected to see the highest impacts. Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency ahead of that storm, which could dump over 2 inches of rain, bring wind gusts of up to 50 mph and moderate to major coastal flooding.
The same storm system is being blamed for at least one death in South Carolina and flooding from the deep South to New England.
Across the tri-state area, showers overnight Thursday will become steadier into Friday as the storm system slides up the coast, and the city will get in on the action later in the evening. Rain will taper off to scattered showers by Saturday morning. Temperatures will only top off in the upper 50s into Saturday and the lower 60s Sunday.
Local
This storm will affect the coastal areas far more than Joaquin is expected to. As Joaquin moves up the shore, the tri-state will start to feel its effects on Sunday, but if the hurricane continues to move offshore, the effects will be much weaker.
Hurricane Joaquin unleashed heavy flooding as it roared through sparsely populated islands in the eastern Bahamas on Thursday, battering trees and buildings while surging waters reached the windows of some homes on Long Island there and inundated the airport runway at Ragged Island. There were no immediate reports of casualties, according to Capt. Stephen Russell, the director of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency.
Joaquin was predicted to turn to the north and northwest toward the United States on Friday.
At a storm briefing Thursday, Gov. Christie said addressing the anticipated rains Thursday and Friday is a primary concern. He declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and said state agencies are cross-communicating to ensure proper staging and availability of commodities.
The system could mean beach erosion -- something that's already been a problem -- and flooding of roads along the shore and in flood-prone inland areas.
As for Joaquin, Christie said, it's too soon to say with any certainty whether the hurricane will have a direct impact on New Jersey. He said he would consider evacuations if necessary.
"You need to understand that we're prepared and we need you to prepare and not panic," Christie said.
Several New Jersey towns stricken by Sandy nearly three years ago are buckling down for Joaquin. In Belmar, bulldozers were used to push up bunkers of sand to protect against tidal flooding, and Lake Como was drained to protect against high waters.
On Long Island, crews are readying tree removal equipment, checking storm drainage trucks and moving other vital storm tools to higher ground and removing boats from town marinas.
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New York City’s Office of Emergency Management, meanwhile, said it is monitoring Joaquin and is holding daily weather consults with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center. The office said it has robust plans in place for "these types of events" and has begun holding interagency conference calls as well.
Mayor de Blasio said the city's agencies are mobilized and its emergency preparedness apparatus are ready in case Joaquin's impact severely affects New York. He said the city learned "powerful lessons" from Sandy three years ago, and is "much safer and much more prepared" for a potential hurricane.
"We'll be in a much better position to handle Joaquin," he said at a news conference.
Gov. Cuomo also chimed in, urging even upstate New Yorkers to prepare for the worst and reminding of the inland damage wrought by Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.
"You simply prepare the best you can and we have taken all appropriate measures," Cuomo said in a phone conference call Thursday. "We are ready to use the plan that was implemented during Hurricane Irene."
After last month ended as one of the hottest Septembers on record, Thursday ushers in October with temperatures struggling to crack the 60-degree mark. The cool weather will stick around through the weekend, when the potential impact of Joaquin could be felt.
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