Forecasters are saying it's more likely that Sandy will bring rain and wind to the Boston area late Sunday and through Monday, but how much is still the question.

Reclassified as a hurricane Wednesday and bearing down on Jamaica, Hurricane Sandy may still head off to sea before hitting the east coast. But forecasters say it’s looking more likely that New England will feel at least part of the brunt of Sandy.

Channel 5's Harvey Leonard said to expect beach erosion, coastal flooding and wind damage. NECN’s Matt Noyes said he is confident that there will be rain and wind likely Sunday night through Monday. He said there is high probability of more than one inch of rain and moderate probability of more than two inches of rain.

CBS Boston’s Terry Eliasen, meterogolist and executive weather producer, said Sandy will be a “strong tropical storm or minimal hurricane” by Sunday.

According to Eliasen:

While most models still do not show a direct hit, more and more are agreeing that Sandy will have no escape route in the Northern Atlantic.  Another large storm will block the road for Sandy, stopping it from just flying by New England out to sea. This may cause Sandy to retrograde, or back up toward our coastline. It could just be a small piece or the entire storm in some fashion moving backward (from East to West). This could come in the form of a strong band of rain and wind lasting for several hours or something much more significant.

Though there is a greater chance that Sandy will at least affect our weather next week, meteorologists said there are too many variables to predict accurately this far out.