Hurricane Joaquin may move into Canadian waters by early next week, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
A special weather statement has been issued for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, informing Atlantic Canadians that the tropical cyclone currently hovering over the Bahamas is making its way north.
“The hurricane is compact (small), which often means that the intensity will fluctuate significantly even over the span of 24 hours,” read the Environment Canada weather statement.
In addition, the track forecast on this tropical storm is highly uncertain with two particular scenarios. One scenario would have the hurricane move into the Carolinas; however, the latest trend from computer model predictions are leaning toward an offshore system with little impacts over land.
The first scenario could lead to rainfall in Southern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
Environment Canada is concerned that there might be a risk of flooding, should Hurricane Joaquin move toward the U.S. coast.
Meanwhile, members of the U.S. Coast Guard are currently searching for a container ship that was caught in Hurricane Joaquin.
The container ship was caught up in the storm near Crooked Island in the Bahamas with 33 crew members on board.
The El Faro, a 735-foot ro-go cargo ship, was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Jacksonville, Florida.
It was at around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday when the ship made contact with the Coast Guard to inform them that they had been impacted by the tropical storm.
The crew reported the ship had taken on water, but that all flooding had been contained. At this time, Coast Guard watchstanders and rescue crews have been unable to re-establish communications with the ship’s crew.
Search and rescue efforts will continue on Friday.
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