NEW TRACK: Hurricane Joaquin shifts east

5 AM UPDATE FOR HURRICANE JOAQUIN:

The current track has far less impact on New England with the storm weakening from a major hurricane to a category 1 as it passes well east in the Atlantic Tuesday.  There is still a lot of uncertainty with this storms and the track WILL be adjusted in the next few days as the track becomes more certain.  Although we don’t completely have the “green light”, these changes in the last 24 hours are good news!  Massachusetts in NOT in the cone.

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MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. Hurricane Center upgraded Hurricane Joaquin to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm Thursday afternoon.

Joaquin is expected to batter the central Bahamas with wind and rain through Thursday night, bringing a significant storm surge and dangerous surf.

Early Thursday, Joaquin was about 20 miles north of Samana Cays, Bahamas, and 65 miles southeast of San Salvador, Bahamas. The Category 4 storm has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and is moving west-southwest at 5 mph.

In his Thursday evening forecast, FOX25 Chief Meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz outlined three possible scenarios for Joaquin's path:

• SCENARIO 1: Curls toward Mid Atlantic
• SCENARIO 2: Turns out to sea
• SCENARIO 3: Right towards New England

A Category 4 hurricane will bring catastrophic damage to areas hit, according to the National Hurricane Center. With a storm of this magnitude, the NWS says most trees will be snapped or uprooted, and the winds will take down power poles. Even well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage, with loss of the roof structure and/or exterior walls.

Governors up and down the East Coast are warning residents to prepare for drenching storms that could cause power outages and close more roads in a region already walloped by rain.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said that given the uncertainty of Joaquin's track, they will continue to monitor and update plans with response partners for potential impact.

Recent downpours have forced people from their homes and closed schools, and forecasters are calling for several more inches of rain in coming days — regardless of what happens with Hurricane Joaquin, which is spinning off the coast.

Cox Media Group