Hurricane Joaquin hits Category 4 strength as it batters Bahamas

Hurricane Joaquin intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm on Thursday, battering the Bahamas 130 mph winds, National Hurricane Center forecaster said.tmpplchld At 2 p.m. Eastern, the storm was located about 70 miles south of San Salvador on the western edge of the central Bahamas.tmpplchld “They are under the gun,” said Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency director Capt. Stephen Russell, and will likely “experience the brunt of the storm in the next 12 to 24 hours.”tmpplchld The powerful storm is expected to generate a potentially deadly storm surge, increased from earlier advisories to five to 10 feet, that could unleash life-threatening flash floods, forecasters said. Near shore, the storm could kick up lethal waves. The wet storm is also expected to dump between 10 and 15 inches of rain over the region, with up to 20 inches possible in some areas.tmpplchld Moving at just 6 mph, forecasters warned Joaquin would likely continue to pound the central Bahamas overnight and into the early morning before making an expected sharp turn to the north, which will take it away from the Bahamas and the Florida coast. Its path from there remained uncertain but the latest computer models were starting to coax it away the U.S. mainland. States from South Carolina to Maine were continuing to closely monitor Joaquin.tmpplchld Flights to Long Island, Exuma, Eleuthera and Providenciales as well as the Turks and Caicos were canceled Wednesday. Schools were also closed on Thursday.tmpplchld Already islands in the storm’s path have reported power outages, storm surges, strong winds and higher-than-usual flooding, Russell said, although he warned that early flooding could also be triggered by a high spring tide and supermoon that raised seas throughout the Bahamas in recent days.tmpplchld So far, no injuries have been reported, he said. Officials are warning residents in the storm’s path to seek shelter if needed.tmpplchld “All of the islands are faring fairly well at this time,” Russell said.tmpplchld Outer rain bands could also drench portions of eastern Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic later Thursday, forecasters said.tmpplchld Forecasters who had warned that a U.S. watch could be issued Thursday, but now say a watch, if one is issued at all, is not likely until Friday. A state of emergency was declared in Virginia on Wednesday afternoon.tmpplchld Early Thursday, hurricane center forecasters shifted the long-range forecast to the east to account for significant overnight changes in computer models. The new path takes the storm anywhere from the Carolinas to New England. The storm could also turn further east and miss the U.S. entirely, forecasters said. Forecasters stressed that confidence three days out remains low while hurricane planes are upping flights to twice daily to provide more information for the models.tmpplchld “It’s too early to talk about specific wind, rain, or surge impacts from Joaquin in the United States,” the NHC said in its 11 a.m. advisory.tmpplchld Even if Joaquin stays offshore, much of the east coast could get hit with strong winds that could whip up coastal flooding, heavy surf and more rain. The mid-Atlantic could see significant beach erosion along with moderate coastal flooding, forecasters said.tmpplchld Joaquin is the first major threat to the east coast since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which came ashore just north of Atlantic City and ultimately caused $75 billion in damage, making it the second costliest storm in U.S. history.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 Miami Heraldtmpplchld Visit Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld