MIAMI — Hurricane Joaquin grew into a category 3 storm late Wednesday as it approached the central islands of the Bahamas on a projected track that would take it near the U.S. East Coast by the weekend.
Maximum sustained winds reached 115 mph and hurricane strength winds extended 35 miles from the center of the storm over the Atlantic Ocean, said the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, which predicted Joaquin would develop into a major hurricane in the coming days.
Authorities in the Bahamas prepared for a brush with the storm, with the center expected to pass near or over several islands during the night and Thursday.
A turn to the north and northwest toward the United States was expected late Thursday or Friday, but forecasters were still gathering data trying to determine how it might affect the U.S.
“We’ve got Air Force reconnaissance planes continuously giving us data from inside the hurricane this morning, and we’re going to be throwing a lot more aircraft resources at this problem over the next few days because it still is not certain whether or not Joaquin will directly impact the U.S. East Coast or stay out to sea,” said Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane warning was posted for the islands of San Salvador, Cat Island, Eleuthera and Rum Cay, with the threat of storm surges, coastal flooding and 5-10 inches of rain, said Geoffrey Greene, a senior forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department.
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