BREAKING: Hurricane Joaquin Strengthens, 'Major' Impact On Chester County Expected

By TOM DAVIS and JUSTIN HEINZE

Hurricane Joaquin has strengthened to a Category 3 storm, packing 120 mph winds, and forecasters say the “major” storm is expected to make landfall by Monday and have a sizable impact on Pennsylvania.

The National Hurricane Center now predicts that the storm will make a direct path toward the Chesapeake Bay region. But the bands of the storm will still push heavy winds and sea rises in Pennsylvania’s direction, potentially causing heavy flooding.

A Category 3 typically packs winds ranging from 111 to 130 mph, and can cause significant damage, according to the National Hurricane Center. Category 3 storms can also cause extensive inland flooding, cause power outages and impact water supplies.

Despite the fact that the storm’s path is expected to turn slightly west, meteorologists said the storm’s path could change at any time, and a direct strike at New Jersey is certainly possible.

“My thoughts are the same as yesterday,” said Gary Szatkowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “All things are possible.”

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As of 5 a.m., forecasters from The National Weather Service and The Weather Channel reported:

• Hurricane Joaquin’s center was located about 65 miles southeast of San Salvador in the central Bahamas early Thursday.
• Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 120 mph, a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
• Joaquin is undergoing rapid intensification that may bring it to Category 4 intensity sometime Thursday, according to The Weather Channel.
• This system is moving slowly to the west-southwest and this is expected to continue through Thursday before turning north Friday into Saturday.

Hurricane Joaquin could have the following impacts on the New Jersey area:

• The storm could bring pounding surf, dangerous seas, strong winds, drenching squalls and flash flooding to the East Coast and the Bahamas, according to AccuWeather.com.
• The Weather Channel described the storm’s potential impact in one word: “massive.”
• All weather models indicate that at least five inches of rain could fall in the area by Monday.
• The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook and a Coastal Flood Warning for New Jersey, saying the storm - even it pushes west, or away from the coast - will likely cause flooding problems at the shoreline.
• Rip current, small craft and gale advisories were posted for Thursday as a separate weather system passes through.
• Once Hurricane Joaquin moves north, it will bring with it an elevated risk of rip currents along the coast, and the week’s rain may result in localized flooding in areas of poor drainage.

Gov. Chris Christie, who has been on the presidential campaign trail, did not release a statement on the hurricane. His press office said he may issue one on Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center and The Weather Channel said the storm’s impacts could reach the New Jersey-Pennsylvania region by late Sunday or early Monday morning.

To reach hurricane status, wind speeds need to hit a sustained 74 miles per hour.