With Hurricane Jose “staggering like a drunken sailor” in the Atlantic it’s too soon to say if Wareham should brace for impact. However, officials are urging boaters to haul out their vessels before damaging winds and storm surge possibly arrive.

“Now is a good time for people to take their boats out of the water, especially if they’re already done for the season,” said Wareham Department of Natural Resources Director Garry Buckminster. “Being proactive now will prevent boats from breaking away from their moorings and ending up on the beach.”

Buckminster said his department is closely monitoring the storm. Currently, National Weather Service projections show a path that sends the category 1 hurricane up the East Coast.

At this time, forecasts say the South Coast is expected to be impacted early Wednesday morning until Wednesday evening, when the storm is projected to be a tropical storm rather than a hurricane.

“That could change because it’s still pretty far out and it’s staggering like a drunken sailor,” said Buckminster. “We’re hoping it will turn east.”

As of Sunday evening, a tropical storm watch was issued for southern Plymouth County. The peak wind forecast for the area is 30 to 40 miles per hour.

Wind and rain from the storm have the potential to damage vessels left in the water, said Buckminster, which could spell expensive salvage bills for boaters. He urged to boaters to err on the side of caution by hauling boats out sooner than later. Should the storm intensify, many will likely be scrambling to prepare.

“You might start to see panic on Monday,” said Buckminster. “People tend to wait until the last minute.”

Should forecasts call for a direct impact on the South Coast, Buckminster said his department will put a haul out plan into place 36 hours before the storm at the municipal boat ramp. That will help more boaters get their boats out of the water and to safety should the storm strike, said Buckminster.