Hurricane Joaquin Shifts Path; What That Means for the Hudson Valley

Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center

Written by BRIAN MCCREADY (Patch Staff) and LANNING TALIAFERRO (Patch Staff)

The National Hurricane Center’s latest forecast should help somewhat in calming Rockland, Putnam and Westchester residents’ nerves about Hurricane Joaquin having a direct impact on the state.

“NHC forecast on Joaquin has it at a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 135MPH and has once again shifted its track and cone of uncertainty further east as of its 5PM advisory,” said Hudson Valley Weather on Facebook.

The hurricane, named Joaquin, rapidly intensified Thursday and was registering maximum wind speeds of 130 mph by 2 p.m.

While the news is definitely welcome, the National Weather Service’s latest forecast still calls for rain.

A graphic of the hurricane’s projected path is being updated constantly by the NHC.

Weekend forecast

Currently, Friday, Oct. 2 is shaping up to the be the rainiest day, according to the National Weather Service.

The chance of rain in Rockland County is 70 percent. By Saturday, that drops to 50 percent; Sunday may provide some respite while Monday and Tuesday there’s a 40 percent chance of rain.

In Putnam County, there’s only a 50 percent chance of rain on Friday, and that drops to 40 percent into Tuesday.

For Westchester, the chance of rain Friday is 70 percent; Sunday may provide some respite and Monday and Tuesday have 40 percent rain attached to them.

Everywhere it will be cool -- mid-50s on Friday and Saturday and then up just a little into the 60s.

Be prepared

A state of emergency had already been declared in Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey.

New York did not follow suit, but Governor Andrew Cuomo did issue an emergency statement directing state agencies to “prepare for prolonged heavy rains and tropical storm conditions” in the coming days.

“We are activating the State’s Emergency Operations Center and positioning critical resources across the state as we learn more about this developing storm,” Cuomo said. “I urge New Yorkers to exercise caution and stay informed in the coming days.”

Patch Editors Simone Wilson and Alfred Branch contributed to this report.