RICHMOND, Va. -- There were huge changes in successive model runs Wednesday night regarding the track of Hurricane Joaquin, CBS 6 Chief Meteorologist Zach Daniel reported. The GFS shifted Hurricane Joaquin a few hundred miles east of its previous solution. The new solution keeps Joaquin offshore through the Mid-Atlantic, with a potential landfall in New York.
"These types of changes were expected, and I know that we will see more in the next couple of days," Daniel said. "Hurricane forecasting, and particularly in this case, is complex with many players and a huge amount of uncertainty. My message remains the same: no need to panic, be prepared and continue to monitor the track and intensity updates. We'll see what changes come with the morning data."
Meanwhile the National Hurricane Center issued 6 keys points about Hurricane Joaquin Thursday morning:
- Preparations to protect life and property in the central Bahamas should be complete
- Confidence in the details of the forecast after 72 hours remains low, as there have been some large changes in the model guidance overnight
- Effort continue to provide the forecast models with as much data as possible
- Because landfall, it it occurs, is still more than three days away, it's too early to talk about specific wind, rain or surge impacts from Joaquin in the United States
- A hurricane watch for a portion of the U.S. coast could be required as early as tonight
- Many portions of the eastern U.S. are currently experiencing heavy rains and gusty winds associated with a frontal system
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