Joaquin strengthens to major hurricane as it grazes the bahamas - may affect east coast as tropical storm

Not related to Michigan weather per se, but this definitely could affect our weather patterns in the coming weeks so it's something to pay attention to. Hurricane Joaquin has strengthened very quickly to a powerful Category 3 storm, and is set to strike the eastern shores of the Bahamas. It remains to be seen just how hard of a hit it will be, but nonetheless, my thoughts and prayers are with our island cousins to the southwest.

Latest strength/projection of storm, and warnings currently in place.

12z GFS projection of storm (winds 10m above ground)

The latest GFS run has the storm tracking up the east coast and potentially grazing New England as a tropical storm.  I'll be keeping an eye on this because gale force winds on the lake are not unheard of during these types of events.  There's also the extremely slim chance that its remnants could slide into our area and cause some heavy rains, but as of right now all of the models put the track back out to sea.