As meteorologists attempt to predict the exact path Hurricane Joaquin may take, the threat of heavy rain and winds to the region is a very real possibility.

However, as Tom Kimes, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather suggests, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding the storm."If it were going to affect the area, it probably wouldn't be until Sunday night at the earliest, very early next week," Kimes said. "The big question would be how close to the coast does it track?"Kimes approached the storm from differing standpoints."The worst case scenario is that it actually comes ashore on the mid-Atlantic Coast and brings us a very significant rainfall, accompanied by strong wind," he said. "There's the other side of the coin where it stays off the coast and has little to any effect on us."Kimes noted that with the two inches of rain that fell over the past couple of days, combined with the anticipated rainfall Friday night into Saturday, regardless of the hurricane, things could get interesting."And that rain could be heavy at times," he said. "And if we would get another dose of rain Sunday night or Monday with the hurricane, we'd be talking many inches of rain over the course of four or five days, which could certainly lead to a lot of flooding."Still, Kimes noted, "Nothing is definite as far as we're concerned with the storm. I think we're leaning more toward the storm staying off the coast," he said. "I don't think we can put our guard down and forget about it, because it's certainly a storm that still needs to be watched and monitored."Since the biggest threat would likely be the flooding rains, Kimes said homeowners should follow several steps to prepare for the storm."If you live in a place that potentially could be flooded, you've got to take precautions of maybe getting or thinking of ways to get your belongings to a higher level of the house, or even out of the house," he said.It's also important to check to take flashlights out and make sure they're in working condition, Kimes said.As temperatures continue to plummet over the next few days, with temperatures not expected to make it out of the 50s, Kimes said the change will certainly be noticeable."It will be a shock to the system," he said. "Not only do we have to worry about the rains, but we also have a temporary setback in the temperature department."Lehighton Borough Manager Nicole Beckett said the borough has an emergency management plan in place in the event of a hurricane situation."All forces would be prepared; the fire department, police department, public works, and light and power," Beckett said.