T he latest track predicted for Hurricane Joaquin — which has weakened to a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale — has shifted further east and will most likely not threaten a direct landfall in the United States…
…but as has been demonstrated by Superstorm Sandy on October 29, 2012, the strength of the storm is not always indicative of the damage it can potentially cause.
In addition to New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina are currently under declared states of emergency.
Despite the latest forecast, torrential rains emanating from the hurricane are already causing problems in at least 20 states in the eastern third of the United States — and more rain is expected over the weekend in many of those areas, which could likely bring flooding; and flood watches have already been issued in many areas. In addition, high winds are also being forecast for some of these areas; and heavy pounding surf is also expected along the eastern coast of the United States.
The Bahamas continues to be battered by the forces of the hurricane, which has currently stalled.
If you are wondering to yourself about the media hype pertaining to this hurricane — several media sources have screamed out that greater than 65 million people will be impacted by this storm, which is a claim I loathed to use — you are not alone. I read an interesting article written by Nate Cohn of The New York Times pertaining to the Global Forecast System of the National Weather Service being inferior to the model from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Although I am not a meteorologist, I have always had a fascination for weather — along with knowledge about weather and its characteristics in general — and I admittedly did not understand why forecasts were initially calling for the landfall of Hurricane Joaquin on the east coast of the United States when there were strong steering currents — in coordination with a cold front and a low pressure system over the southeastern United States — which contributed towards preventing that possible landfall from happening…
…but the reason why I post these articles pertaining to weather is to help keep you informed with your travel plans — as well as to give you links to discussions by fellow frequent fliers pertaining to the weather, which are listed below from FlyerTalk…
- Exchanging Award Ticket in advance of Hurricane
- Hurricane Joaquin’s effect on UA ops?
- Hurricane Joaquin thread
- Weather travel advisory – refund instead of credit?
- Question about possibility of upcoming flight cancellation
- Hurricane and travel plans on Tuesaday
- Moral Q: Abandoning coworker?
- OSO, IROPS / IRROPS, delay, cancelation for AA / US flyers (consolidated)
- Official 2015 New England Fall Foliage Thread
…and — for your convenience — here are the latest travel advisories pertaining to Hurricane Joaquin from the following airlines where you can change or cancel your itinerary and possibly receive a full refund where applicable — free of charge:
- Delta Air Lines
- United Airlines
- American Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- US Airways
- JetBlue Airways
- WestJet
Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to this tropical system which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, you may want to consider postponing or canceling your trip, as it might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.
If you have a flight scheduled, your flight could be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary. If you are driving in any of these areas, watch out for deteriorating weather conditions and traffic problems.
Consider contacting your airline or transportation provider for the latest information pertaining to your travels as this situation progresses…
…and please: travel safely.
Source of graphic: the National Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States.
