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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Jeff Jones |
The Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin continued to wreak havoc in the Central Bahamas Friday morning, battering several islands there, the National Hurricane Center reported.
According to the Weather Channel, Joaquin is hammering Acklins, Crooked Island, Mayaguana and uninhabited Samana Cay in the Central Bahamas. The eyewall also continues to pummel Rum Cay, San Salvador and Long Island, according to the report.
Joaquin will spend another day near the storm-battered Central Bahamas, before finally accelerating away Saturday, according to the Weather Channel. According to the report, "A catastrophic situation may be unfolding there with such a prolonged period of intense hurricane conditions."
According to the Weather Channel, dozens are trapped in their homes in the Central Bahamas, with authorities unable to reach them. All schools have been closed in The Bahamas.
The odds of the U.S. mainland seeing its first landfalling hurricane in 15 months are now very low as the forecast track continues to trend farther to the east, according to the Weather Channel.
Sandals Resorts International representatives told Travel Agent guests remain at Sandals Royal Bahamian and at Sandals Emerald Bay in The Bahamas, where the airport is currently closed. We were told Sandals Resorts is closely monitoring the National Hurricane Center updates and hurricane preparation protocols have been put into effect.
Hurricane warnings remain in effect for a large part of the Bahamas. Tropical storm warnings are up for the Turks and Caicos Islands and eastern Cuba, according to the Weather Channel. For now, Joaquin is expected to pass sufficiently west of Bermuda Sunday to limit any direct impacts, according to the report.
AccuWeather reports flooding from Hurricane Joaquin will impact areas from South Carolina to Massachusetts regardless of whether it makes landfall or if the center stays out to sea. The storm will bring pounding surf, dangerous seas, strong winds, drenching squalls and flash flooding to the central Bahamas. Wind gusts could reach between 75 and 100 mph on some of the islands, according to AccuWeather.
Game…Off?
AccuWeather reports as Joaquin parallels the Eastern Seaboard late this week and into the weekend, sports fans across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast should be on alert.
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| Photo by Freeimages.com/Jason Grafinger |
The final weekend of the Major League Baseball regular season could see many disruptions to game activity, according to the report. Baseball fans looking to attend one of the last remaining home games in Philadelphia, New York City and Baltimore could be looking at cancellations, weather delays or alterations to the time of first pitch, according to AccuWeather.
This weekend, the Phillies host the Miami Marlins, the New York Yankees travel to Camden Yards to play the Orioles, the New York Mets welcome the Washington Nationals to Citi Field and the Pittsburgh Pirates battle the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.
For college football fans, the wet weekend could spoil tailgating plans from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania, according to AccuWeather. After flooding doused parts of the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast earlier in the week, grassy areas that turn into football parking lots are already saturated.
Originally slated for primetime, Maryland will take on No. 22 Michigan at noon in College Park on Saturday as preparations ramp up for Joaquin. The Big Ten Network previously postponed their on-location pre-game shows citing weather concerns, according to the report.
In Dover, Delaware, Joaquin threatens a major NASCAR race with elimination implications this weekend. Organizers are monitoring the hurricane and its impacts but will likely not make any decisions before activities start.
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for more updates on this story. Be sure to follow Travel Agent's Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike.