Hurricane Joaquin now Category 3 storm as it nears Bahamas

Hurricane Joaquin now Category 3 storm as it nears Bahamas

(CNN)Joaquin strengthened into a major hurricane on Wednesday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center announced.

The Category 3 storm is poised to pound the Bahamas with heavy rain and dangerous storm surges.

And the storm's movement later this week could have flooding implications for an already drenched eastern United States. While forecasters are having a hard time figuring where Joaquin is headed, they believe the storm will continue to strengthen over the next day or so.

Joaquin's outer bands were already splattering the southern Bahamas and Cuba with rain Wednesday night.

The storm's center was spinning 170 miles (275 kilometers) east of the central Bahamas. Its maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) extended 35 miles (56 kilometers) from the eye. Tropical storm force winds reached farther, up to 140 miles (220 kilometers) from the center.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/us/hurricane-joaquin/

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