A VIOLENT Atlantic hurricane shaping up to be one of the most powerful on record is threatening to smash into Britain NEXT week.
By NATHAN RAO
PUBLISHED: 07:43, Fri, Oct 2, 2015 | UPDATED: 08:27, Fri, Oct 2, 2015
NHC
Hurricane Joaquin is on course to smash into Britain next week
Hurricane Joaquin is currently swirling off the coast of the Bahamas and is gearing up to unleash gales of up to 140mph in the United States.
It will leave a trail of destruction severe enough to “disrupt the American economy”, forecasters warned, with a state of emergency already declared in the state of Virginia.
Communities along the east coast have been told to prepare for devastating floods and winds strong enough to topple buildings.
Some weather models have the remains of Hurricane Joaquin as a large Atlantic depression that could swing across the UK during the weekend 10th October
Leon Brown, forecaster for the Weather Channel UK
And worried UK-based forecasters say the churning vortex - which threatens to rival 2012’s Superstorm Sandy and 2003’s Hurricane Isabel - will then make a beeline for Britain.
Current weather models predict Joaquin will sweep up the US coast before diverting northeastwards and making landfall in the UK on or around October 10.
NASA
This image of Hurricane Joaquin seen from space shows the sheer scale of the developing superstorm
The storm shows worrying similarities to Hurricane Bertha which charged across the Atlantic to batter Britain after mauling the US last summer.
Widespread and severe floods forced hundreds of people from their homes and sparked travel mayhem across the UK.
Violent sea conditions led to the death of one man while high inland winds felled trees, closed roads and disrupted railways.
NASA
Joaquin is seen approaching the Bahamas in this satellite image
Forecasters warn Brits to make the most of the current calm and settled weather with Joaquin threatening to unleash autumn hell.
Leon Brown, forecaster for the Weather Channel UK, said: “Joaquin is forecast to reach Hurricane strength today.
"It is currently near the Bahamas and will stay there for a couple of days before heading northwards.
“Some weather models have the remains as a large Atlantic depression approaching western Europe late next week and could swing across the UK during the weekend 10th October."
Mike Smith, senior vice president and chief innovation executive of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions, warned damage from the storm will be nothing short of “catastrophic” across America.
He said: "There is going to be catastrophic flooding from North Carolina to Massachusetts, and this is going to disrupt the economy regardless of whether or not Hurricane Joaquin makes landfall.
“Joaquin will deliver beach erosion, coastal flooding, inland flooding from heavy rain and stiff winds near the coast, prior to its arrival more than 100 miles away from the point of any landfall.
“Exactly where Joaquin comes ashore and how strong it is at landfall will determine the severity of the conditions."
Superstorm Sandy struck in October 2012 unleashing floods and catastrophic winds across the US.
In September 2003 hurled itself across the country killing 16 people and causing billions of pounds worth of damage.
Neither had a direct impact on the UK although forecasters warn Joaquin may take a more easterly track and head towards British shores.
Mr Smith added: “The impact from Joaquin, assuming it makes landfall, could be similar to either Sandy or Isabel or perhaps a blend of the two.
“There will be impacts. This includes the potential for flooding, downed trees, property damage and power outages.
“In terms of loss of life or injury, be sure to heed warnings and orders as soon as they are issued.”
The National Hurricane Centre shows Joaquin currently heading northwards from the Bahamas at a speed of more than 110mph.
Dr Chris Holloway, tropical storm expert at the University of Reading, said it is too early to determine the impact Joaquin will have on the UK.
He said: “It is too far in advance to say exactly what the knock-on effects in the UK could be.
“Some solutions show an extra-tropical storm, which may be the remnants of Joaquin, reaching somewhere in the north Atlantic later next week. However this is uncertain.”
Weather models show Joaquin is unlikely to be the last tropical storm to churn up the Atlantic this month with another cyclone forming hot on its heels.
US National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Joaquin could devastate much of the US east coast, including New York
The National Hurricane Centre shows another tropical disturbance forming around 600 miles off the coast of Bermuda.
It is expected to build into a full-blown hurricane over the next two days and like Joaquin threatens to move up the coast of America before sweeping northwards and possibly towards the UK.
A spokesman for the National Hurricane Centre said: “A broad area of low pressure associated with an old frontal zone is centred over the central Atlantic more than 600 miles southeast of Bermuda.
“This system is producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms, and environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for a tropical depression to form by the weekend while the low moves slowly northwestward to northward.”
The US National Hurricane Center classified Joaquin as a major category four storm on a scale of one to five.
And it could still be intensified to the highest level.
Reuters
The sheer size of Hurricane Joaquin means storm winds could reach 165mph
The United States is on alert for severe floods over the next 48 hours with up to 20 inches of rain and “dangerous storm surges” forecast.
A spokesman for local weather service Weather Underground said: “Sustained winds up to 140 mph are forecast, with gusts to 165 mph.
“Even well-built homes may lose their roofs and even experience failure of one or more exterior walls.
“In areas where the wind blows toward shore, water levels may rise five to eight feet above normal tide levels flooding low-lying coastal areas.
“Extremely high waves from the open ocean may then damage or destroy any structures flooded by seawater.”
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