5 AM UPDATE: JOAQUIN A CAT 3 HURRICANE NOW, COULD HUG COAST TOWARDS JERSEY

The National Hurricane Center’s 5 am update isn’t the kind of update South Jersey wanted to see. Currently, Hurricane Joaquin hasn’t made a complete turn up the coast yet and the forecast for when the storm hits continues to be delayed. The storm is a category 3 hurricane and is forecast right now to make almost a direct hit on South Jersey. The predicted storm track continues to move over the past 24 hours as it is almost impossible to make a clear determination where the storm will go, especially with it not turning as of yet. The most impact from the storm wouldn’t be predicted to hit out area until Monday afternoon into Tuesday as of this point. The only real positive of the latest guidance is that the storm could come down to tropical storm conditions by the time it directly comes near South Jersey, as opposed to being a major hurricane, but again all of this is subject to change. Maximum sustained winds for the hurricane currently are 120 mph.