Jose Not Going Away, Could Come 'Threateningly Close' To Long Island

Jose remains likely to stay offshore, but its track has shifted west and it could come "threateningly close" to Long Island next week, the National Weather Service says.

The storm, currently located about 435 miles east-northeast of the Bahamas, weakened to a tropical storm Thursday morning with sustained winds of 70 mph, but it's expected to restrengthen into a hurricane by Friday night.

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Wind, rain and coastal flood impacts are not out of the question for Long Island come next Tuesday and Wednesday. There's a 5-10 percent chance of tropical storm-force winds, meaning 39 mph or more, on the island, but note the graphic (at the bottom of this story) only shows probabilities through 8 a.m. Tuesday.

"If nothing else, the shoreline threat for dangerous rip currents, high surf and dune erosion will increase this weekend into early next week," the NWS says.

In a forecast discussion released at 11 a.m Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says: "A trough currently over the Lower Mississippi Valley into the northwestern Gulf of Mexico is expected to play a key role in how close Jose comes to the eastern United States. Some of the model solutions show the trough tugging on the tropical cyclone, causing a more north-northwestward motion at the end of the period, while others have the trough deflecting the cyclone more out to sea."

Watch: Hurricanes Jose And Irma Seen From Space

There's a chance the storm could stall off the Northeast coast for a time next week, according to AccuWeather.

“A persistent onshore flow in some locations may lead to coastal flooding at times of high tide for many days even if Jose remains a few hundred miles offshore,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.