Hurricane Joaquin strengthens, aims for East Coast

Show Caption Hide Caption Hurricane Joaquin strengthens Hurricane Joaquin is forecast to strengthen over the next two days and could track near the East Coast by this weekend.

Hurricane Joaquin has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm — clocking 115-mph winds as it approached the Bahamas — and is expected to strengthen further Thursday.

Joaquin (wah-KEEN) was making a path toward the East Coast of the United States, where it could hit by the weekend, forecasters were predicting.

Forecasters are still divided whether the storm will touch land. Joaquin is expected to strengthen into a Category 4 storm late Thursday, AccuWeather.com said.

"Confidence in the details of the forecast after 72 hours remains low," the hurricane center said in an online forecast.

Authorities in the Bahamas were bracing for contact with the storm and the center was supposed to pass near or over the islands overnight or Thursday. Joaquin was expected to head north toward the United States by Thursday night or Saturday. Hurricane warnings were issued for the central and northern Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center. Shortly before 11 p.m. ET Wednesday, the hurricane was about 90 miles east of San Salvador and moving at 6 mph.

One reliable computer model keeps Joaquin far away from the East coast, the center said. "The range of possible outcomes is still large and includes the possibility of a major hurricane landfall in the Carolinas," the center said.

A major hurricane is Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph.

UPDATE: Major Hurricane #Joaquin continues to strengthen, as winds have increased to 120 mph with the 2 a.m. advisory pic.twitter.com/CmyNU2j4aX — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) October 1, 2015

"Because landfall, if it occurs, is still more than three days away, it is too early to talk about specific wind, rain, or surge impacts from Joaquin in the United States," the hurricane center said Wednesday.

In Virginia, Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Wednesday for the state because of the predicted heavy rain event Thursday and Friday and the potential weekend hurricane.

Brian Fortier, senior meteorologist at the Weather Channel, warned, "It could be a significant situation. Everyone along the Northeast coast, right up to New England, should keep a close eye on the forecasts."

President Obama was briefed about federal preparations for Joaquin in case it hits the East Coast, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday.

Some parts of the Bahamas could get more than a foot of rain and flash floods, the hurricane center said.

By Friday, ocean swells generated by Joaquin will begin to affect portions of Florida's east coast and the Southeast coast, potentially causing life-threatening surf and rip currents.

Ahead of Joaquin, rain from other weather systems already soaked much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday. Flooding was reported Wednesday in New England, where scenes of swamped cars were common.

Still more rain is forecast for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Friday and Saturday, again not directly related to Joaquin. "Several inches of rain can be expected through Friday and beyond, which will bring concerns of flash flooding," National Weather Service meteorologist Amanda Fanning said in an online forecast.

"There is going to be catastrophic flooding from North Carolina to Massachusetts, and this is going to disrupt the economy regardless of whether or not Hurricane Joaquin makes landfall," said meteorologist Mike Smith of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions.