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WestConn Meteorologist: Hurricane Joaquin May Hit Westport

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — Hurricane Joaquin, now developing in the Bahamas, may strike the Nutmeg State, but its exact course is anybody’s guess.

Gov. Dannel Malloy and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal get an update on Hurricane Sandy's damage in Stamford back in 2012.

Gov. Dannel Malloy and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal get an update on Hurricane Sandy's damage in Stamford back in 2012.

Photo Credit: File
Sand, debris and toppled benches at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk following Hurricane Sandy.

Sand, debris and toppled benches at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk following Hurricane Sandy.

Photo Credit: Don Capone, File

Poll
Are you worried about the effects of Hurricane Joaquin on Fairfield County?
Final Results Voting Closed

Are you worried about the effects of Hurricane Joaquin on Fairfield County?

  • Yes
    44%
  • No
    56%

“A version of Joaquin is likely to affect Fairfield County,” Western Connecticut State University meteorologist Gary Lessor told the Daily Voice on Wednesday. 

“It appears the hurricane itself is going to make landfall down in the Mid-Atlantic region somewhere between North Carolina and Virginia.”

The storm may take a track toward the central Appalachians, at which point it may be “weakening significantly,” Lessor said.

“We’re more than five days out,” Lessor said. “There’s still going to be significant changes.”

In a worse-case scenario, Connecticut could see wind gusts as high as 50 mph by the weekend. But sustained winds at 15 to 25 mph with gusts between 30 and 40 mph are more likely, Lessor said.

Those scenarios assume a version of the storm hits Connecticut. Yet, the possibility is growing that it may not strike us at all, he said.

The models are changing every few hours, Lessor said. Joaquin’s course seems to moving away from Connecticut and to the Southwest.

For now, he said, the exact course is hard to determine.

“It’s just too early to do anything,” Lessor said. “There is the possibility, but it’s too far away.”

“We’re more than five days out,” Lessor said. “There’s still going to be significant changes" to the models.

Lessor added that he would probably have a better idea of the storm’s direction Thursday.

When asked whether Fairfield County residents should prepare for the storm, Lessor said to wait for more information.

“It’s just too early to do anything,” Lessor said. “There is the possibility, but it’s too far away.”

Gov. Dannel Malloy said state emergency management officials are closely monitoring Joaquin. 

"While there are many variables with this storm, we are paying close attention to its track,” Malloy said. “Just as the state and its agencies are monitoring the weather and preparing appropriately, residents should do the same and closely watch forecasts over the next few days.”

Hurricane Joaquin is the third of the 2015 Atlantic season, according to The Weather Channel. Warnings have been issued for the Bahamas, it reported.

The storm is slowly intensifying and a complex atmospheric pattern makes it difficult to forecast, according to the channel.

Sandy, the last hurricane to hit Connecticut, caused significant damage to homes and businesses along the shoreline in late fall 2012.

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