Joaquin Becomes a Hurricane; Expected to Affect Westchester

Tropical Storm Joaquin was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning, and the National Weather Service has issued a new notice for southern Westchester County.

• Hazardous Weather Outlook

And while forecasters are still uncertain about whether the tropical system will get to New York, they predict its impact will likely be felt all weekend, specially since it may converge with another slow-moving system.

“It could be a significant situation,” said Brian Fortier, senior meteorologist at The Weather Channel, Wednesday morning. “Everyone along the Northeast coast, right up to New England, should keep a close eye on the forecasts.”

Rain is in the daily forecast all the way through Tuesday. Some days it will be light showers and others it will be a soaking rain, especially on Friday and Friday night.

Flooding is also a major concern.

According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, “The dry spell and local drought conditions will be washed away by heavy rain and flooding.”

Rains intensify Thursday night, another three quarters of an inch of rain, and possibly up to 2 inches of rain on Friday. Projected rainfall accumulations for the weekend have not been made as of yet.

Joaquin’s impact may come into play during the third round of rain, which could arrive sometime between Sunday and Monday, AccuWeather predicted.

Patch will continue to update this weather situation.

MAP: Accuweather.com