ALERT #26 ON HURRICANE JOAQUIN ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER, 2015 AT 6AM EDT.

…JOAQUIN IS MOVING NORTHEAST AWAY FROM THE BAHAMAS WHERE CONDITIONS SHOULD GRADUALLY IMPROVE THIS MORNING

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS INCLUDING CAT ISLAND, EXUMA, LONG ISLAND, RUM CAY AND SAN SALVADOR, AND ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, AND MAYAGUANA IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. 

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

AT 6 AM EDT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JOAQUIN WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.2 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 73.1 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 120 MILES NORTHEAST OF SAN SALVADOR, 180 MILES NORTHEAST OF ACKLINS AND 265 MILES EAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE. 

HURRICANE JOAQUIN IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 13 MPH, AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED.  A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS FORECAST ON SUNDAY.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF JOAQUIN WILL CONINUE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE BAHAMAS TODAY, AND PASS WEST OF BERMUDA ON SUNDAY. 

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. JOAQUIN IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SLOW WEAKENING IS FORECAST TO BEGIN LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY STEADIER WEAKENING ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT.   

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES FROM THE CENTER.

HEAVY RAINFALL COULD RESULT IN LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODS OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS THROUGH TODAY. 

A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 6 TO 12 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT AS LARGE SWELLS AND BATTERING WAVES WILL AFFECT THE BAHAMAS DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS.