HURRICANE JOAQUIN: ALERT #18 Moving Slowly Northwestward
…EXTREMELY DANGEROUS JOAQUIN MOVING SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD AS IT BATTERS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS…
...HURRICANE CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS TODAY...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE ABACOS, BERRY ISLANDS, ELEUTHERA, GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND, NEW PROVIDENCE, AND ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, AND MAYAGUANA IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR BIMINI AND ANDROS ISLAND.
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 48 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 5 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JOAQUIN WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 23.3 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 74.7 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF CLARENCE TOWN, LONG ISLAND, 50 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF SAN SALVADOR, 25 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF RUM CAY, 77 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE BIGHT, CAT ISLAND, AND 206 SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
HURRICANE JOAQUIN IS DRIFTING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 3 MPH. A FASTER NORTHWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 130 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. JOAQUIN IS DANGEROUS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. SLOW WEAKENING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY.
ON ITS PRESENT TRACK, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JOAQUIN WILL MOVE OVER OR NEAR RUM CAY AND BETWEEN CAT ISLAND AND SAN SALVADOR TODAY. RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY AND SAN SALVADOR WILL EXPERIENCE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS TODAY. MEANWHILE, RESIDENTS IN EXUMA AND ELEUTHERA SHOULD EXPERIENCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS TODAY AND TONIGHT. RESIDENTS IN ACKLINS AND CROOKED ISLAND COULD EXPERIENCE GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT THROUGHOUT TODAY.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
HEAVY RAINFALL COULD RESULT IN LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODS OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS THROUGH TODAY.
A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 6 TO 12 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
AGAIN, RESIDENTS IN THE WARNING AREAS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED PREPARATIONS FOR THE IMPACT OF JOAQUIN WHICH INCLUDES SEVERE FLOODING.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT AS LARGE SWELLS AND BATTERING WAVES WILL AFFECT THE BAHAMAS DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE JOAQUIN WILL BE ISSUED AT 9AM EDT.