Hurricane Joaquin
At 8 am, the center of Hurricane Joaquin was located about 500 miles east of us moving toward the southwest near 6 mph.
A general motion toward the west-southwest or southwest is expected to continue through tonight. A turn toward the west and a decrease in forward speed are forecast on Thursday.
On the forecast track, the center of Joaquin is expected to move near or over portions of the central Bahamas tonight and Thursday. The storm will bring pounding surf, dangerous seas, strong winds, drenching squalls and flash flooding to the central Bahamas.
Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts.
Joaquin is forecast to continue to gather strength just northeast of the Bahamas during the next couple of days before it begins its northward run along the East coast. The system could reach Category 3 strength.
