Jose Not Going Away, Could Skirt Maryland Next Week: Weather Forecast

MARYLAND — Hurricane Jose remains likely to stay offshore and had weakened to a tropical storm Thursday, but it could still influence the East Coast into next week, weather forecasters say. Some forecast maps put the dogged storm off the coast of Maryland and Virginia by Tuesday.

The storm, currently located about 435 miles east-northeast of the Bahamas, weakened to a tropical storm Thursday morning with sustained winds of 70 mph, but it's expected to restrengthen into a hurricane by Friday night. Forecasters are still uncertain what path the storm will take.

According to the National Weather Service, expect sunshine in Maryland Saturday, except for a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. High pressure will dominate local conditions on Sunday into Monday as Hurricane Jose moves north in the west Atlantic—meaning afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

In a forecast discussion released at 11 a.m Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says: "A trough currently over the Lower Mississippi Valley into the northwestern Gulf of Mexico is expected to play a key role in how close Jose comes to the eastern United States. Some of the model solutions show the trough tugging on the tropical cyclone, causing a more north-northwestward motion at the end of the period, while others have the trough deflecting the cyclone more out to sea."

There's a chance the storm could stall off the Northeast coast for a time next week, according to AccuWeather.

“A persistent onshore flow in some locations may lead to coastal flooding at times of high tide for many days even if Jose remains a few hundred miles offshore,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

Here's the latest weekend forecast from The National Weather Service:

Friday: A slight chance of showers after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Light and variable wind becoming north around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Calm wind.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Sunday: A chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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