Bahamas beginning to feel powerful Category 3 winds of Hurricane Joaquin

Hurricane Joaquin began battering the Bahamas early Thursday with powerful winds topping 120 mph, National Hurricane Center forecaster said.tmpplchld At 8 a.m., the storm was located about 10 miles north of Samana Cays. Forecasters warn the rapidly strengthening storm could grow even stronger over the nest day, with 140 mph sustained winds possible over the next 24 hours. Joaquin could also generate a dangerous storm surge, with water rising five to eight feet above normal in the central Bahamas.tmpplchld 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 5 mph, forecasters warned Joaquin will likely pound the central Bahamas for a “prolonged” period of time.tmpplchld With Joaquin amping up, the bigger concern remained where the still-strengthening storm would head next after an expected sharp turn to the north over the next day. Computer models show the storm missing Florida, but the heavily populated Eastern Seaboard from South Carolina to New York will be anxiously watching Joaquin’s path through the weekend. Forecasters said a hurricane watch could be issued for part of the region as early as Thursday night. A state of emergency was declared in Virginia on Wednesday afternoon.tmpplchld Hurricane center forecasters have shifted the long-range forecast path away from the New Jersey shore to a potential landfall as early as Sunday in the Carolinas. Forecasters stressed that confidence three days out remains low _ the probability of hurricane winds reaching the U.S. was just 10 percent _ but said a direct strike was possible.tmpplchld “The range of possible outcomes is still large, and the possibility of a hurricane landfall in the Carolinas still cannot be ruled out,” the NHC advisory said.tmpplchld In the U.S., days of heavy rain could increase inland flooding threats. 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.tmpplchld As of 8 a.m. Thursday, the NHC said hurricane winds extended 35 miles. Tropical storm force winds reached 140 miles out. A hurricane warning was in effect for the central and northwestern Bahamas, as well as the Acklands, Crooked Island and Mayaguana. A watch is in effect for the remaining islands as well as the Turks and Caicos and Andros Island.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