Joaquin is an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Here is what you need to know today:
- Joaquin didn't move much today
- It's an intense Category 4 hurricane
- It will not move toward Florida
- Joaquin impacting west Florida coastal counties
- The height of the seas near the center is about 25 to 29 feet
The central Bahamas will continue to experience hurricane-force winds, storm surge and heavy rain through Thursday night.
As expected, Joaquin didn’t move much today. It’s an intense hurricane and luckily will not move toward us. It will only drift a little farther west overnight and then start its slow northward movement on Friday. The shear remains low and the water temperatures are ideal.
The same model mentioned last night (European) is the one that appears to be more accurate in predicting this storm to stay offshore. It appears more and more likely this storm might never make landfall in the U.S. at all. It’s a bit too early to be sure on that, but that’s the way it’s looking right now.
The NOAA G-IV high altitude jet will continue flying twice daily missions at about 40,000 feet north of the storm to get a good idea of the surrounding atmosphere. That data will then be put into the computer models to get a good handle on the exact path Joaquin will take into the weekend.
Joaquin impacts coastal conditions
Red flags are being flown at both Brevard and Volusia County beaches and will throughout the weekend.
Brevard Ocean Rescue issued an alert for beachgoers to be on the lookout for dangerous surf and rip currents through Saturday.
At Paradise Beach the waves are in the 5 foot range Thursday, but they are expected to go upwards of 6-9 feet near shore over the next couple of days.
Lifeguards made four rescues in the waters along Brevard beaches -- and Wednesday they saved a surfer from Tampa whose line snapped off from his surfboard in the rough waves.
Guards say a major issue they are seeing is surfers who don't get out there very often, and are getting into trouble in the hazardous rips.
Double red flags will be posted at lifeguard stands, and purple flags will be in the air as well. There are lots of jellyfish swirling around and seen in the water and on the sand.
Moderate to severe beach erosion is also expected -- but county natural resources says those areas should heal on their own post storm.
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