This Hurricane Won't Be Like the Last One

Almost three years after Sandy ravaged the New York and New Jersey coastline, another major storm appears headed for the Eastern seaboard.

Hurricane Joaquin is gaining strength and is now a Category 3 hurricane. While the storm's exact path remains unclear, some forecasting models show it could reach our area. 

Adam Sobel, a professor at Columbia and author of the book "Storm Surge: Hurricane Sandy, Our Changing Climate, and Extreme Weather of the Past and Future", says it's unlikely the storm will be as large as Sandy in size or take the same damaging path. But he says even if it is not, Joaquin could bring more rain.

"The chance that we will see some impact from it is reasonably good," Sobel told WNYC's Soterios Johnson. "We're in fact almost certain to see quite a lot of rain over the next few days, no matter whether or we get Joaquin or not."

Since every storm is different, one thing is certain: Joaquin won't be exactly like Sandy. It's just not clear how it will be different.

To follow the storm, visit WNYC's Hurricane Joaquin Tracker. WNYC has also posted a map of New York City's updated evacuation zones.