STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New Yorkers know all too well what it’s like to brace for a hurricane.
But with Hurricane Melissa preparing to slam into those in the Caribbean, some might be wondering if New York will feel any power from the storm.
The short answer, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Larson, is no.
Despite an impending super soaker storm coming Thursday to New York City, Hurricane Melissa is not anticipated to swing up towards us.
“[Thursday’s storm] is not related in any way, shape, or form to Hurricane Melissa,” Larson said. “[Hurricane Melissa] Should stay pretty far out at sea and not have any impacts on us.”
At the time of writing, Hurricane Melissa developed into a Category 4 hurricane, with the possibility of intensifying to a Category 5 storm Sunday night, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately.
“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”
As for New York City, the storm coming Thursday will extend into Halloween morning on Friday. Whether or not it will impact trick-or-treaters come the afternoon is up in the air, but not out of the realm of possibility, according to Larson.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
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