BREAKING: Joaquin Becomes a Hurricane; Expected to Impact New York

Written by BRIAN MCCREADY (Patch Staff)

Tropical Storm Joaquin was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning, and it could cause flooding concerns into next week.

Just how directly it may hit Westchester County remains unknown, but even if it doesn’t take a direct route to the region its impact will likely be felt all weekend.

“A break in the rain is likely from late Wednesday through Thursday across the Northeast,” writes AccuWeather.com. “Water levels on small streams will recede, while some of the major rivers will begin to rise a bit.

“The second round of rain will begin right along the Atlantic coast and will spread slowly westward from Thursday afternoon through Saturday. This second batch is likely to cause significant urban flooding and major travel delays from Raleigh, North Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia, to New York City and Boston, as well as farther west to part of the Interstate 81 corridor.”

A Coastal Flood Statement was issued Wednesday for the early afternoon.

“Tidal departures... 1/2 to 1 foot above astronomical tides,” according to the National Weather Service.

Rain is in the daily forecast into Tuesday of next week. Some days it will be light showers and others it will be a soaking rain, especially on Friday and Friday night.

Patch Editor Alfred Branch contributed to this report.

Map via AccuWeather.com