Heavy Rainfall Starting Friday, Hurricane Path Still Uncertain (Updated)

storm track

Hurricane Joaquin arrived in the Bahamas Thursday, and forecasters say New Jersey will see heavy rain and gusty winds starting Friday, but exactly how the growing storm will impact the state remains unclear.

Meteorologists said Thursday afternoon that the storm’s path up the East Coast remains uncertain, but is likely to move out to the ocean before it reaches the Mid-Atlantic region.

An Thursday afternoon update from the National Weather service shifts Joaquin east based on European, British and American models, with no landfall. Other major models changed Thursday to also shift the hurricane to the east, with no landfall.

Joaquin was upgraded to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 132 mph Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The Garden State is expected to experience several days of moderate to major coastal flooding, heavy rainfall, and strong winds Friday into Saturday, regardless of what Joaquin does, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

Wind gusts, heavy rain and flooding are possible late Sunday and Monday. The amount of rainfall the region will see at the close of the weekend will depend on the track of Joaquin.