Joaquin-ing the line: Hurricane approaches NC

Joaquin is coming to North Carolina. This time without a female phone personality. 

Hurricane Joaquin is currently above the Bahamas, where it will stay through Friday before heading north. Wes Hohenstein, chief meteorologist for WNCN News in Raleigh, said the categories are based on wind speed. Joaquin recorded 130 mph winds Thursday, making it a category four . As of 8 p.m. Friday, it was classified as a category three.

"We have to prepare like something could happen," he said. 

Joaquin is supposed to move parallel to the East Coast, which leaves North Carolina in what the Weather Channel calls the “Threat Index.” Hohenstein said it’s something that will have to be monitored closely throughout the next couple of days.

“We don’t know what is going to happen," he said. "It could turn out to sea or it could turn back in and hit the East Coast."

North Carolina has already begun feeling the effects — rain totals at RDU are now 0.83 inches above their year-to-date average, and Gov. Pat McCrory declared a State of Emergency for Friday. 

But the state is no stranger to hurricanes. Jay Barnes, author of "North Carolina’s Hurricane History," said records of hurricanes date back to the colonial period. 

But he said only three were important in North Carolina’s hurricane history:

• Hurricane Hazel, 1954: “A lot of people still look at it as a benchmark of the twentieth century.”
• Hurricane Fran, 1996: “A very powerful storm that struck the coast and came up through the Raleigh and Triangle area.”
• Hurricane Floyd, 1999: “Our state’s worst national disaster ever.”

Barnes said while some of these storms might have similarities, hurricanes don’t really follow a pattern of any kind. 

“Every storm is unique. Each hurricane that comes our way has its own unique combination of impacts and effects," he said. "Some are large, some are small. Some move fast, some move slow."

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The Daily Tar Heel asked students where they go in the event of a hurricane.

Katelyn Michael, junior, public relations major

“I live in Gibsonville, which is in the triad, so it’s kind of far away from the dangers of a hurricane… but the back part of our house is completely windowless and in the center of the building.”

Sarah Moody, junior, information science major

“A lot of times we just stayed it out, unless it was really bad. If it was really bad where we’re looking at loss of power or downed trees, we would head farther up.”

Joe Nickel, first-year, music major, biology and chemistry minor

“All the high schools, and the middle schools too, are built to certain standards where if there was a hurricane, you could stay at the school on the second or third floors. So that’s a good thing we have living on Long Island.”

Isabel Uzsoy, first-year, English literature and computer science major

“We get all the lawn furniture inside and make sure that we’ve got some kind of canned goods should anything happen, but nothing ever has.”

Chad Mason, junior, economics

“I would say low ground, but there’s flooding, so that would kind of contradict it. But, natural reaction, a cement room or a brick room.”

state@dailytarheel.com