Hurricane Joaquin is broiling in the Atlantic Ocean, posing a critical threat to The Bahamas and possibly the U.S. East Coast.
Joaquin is the third storm to churn in the Atlantic Ocean this year. Hurricane watches have this been issued in The Bahamas while the path of the hurricane is unclear at this time.
The National Hurricane Center upgraded Joaquin to a category 1 hurricane after an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance aircraft measured sufficiently strong flight-level winds and low surface pressure advises Weather.com. Hurricane Hunters found that the 55-mile wide eye of the storm was almost completely encircled, except for an opening on its North side - meaning the storm is quite mature and "robust thunderstorms had not fully encircled the Joaquin's center of circulation."
However, Joaquin continues to slowly intensify as "as wind shear - harmful to the intensification of tropical cyclones - lessens, and a complicated atmospheric pattern makes its future track - including any potential landfall on the U.S. East Coast - extremely difficult to forecast."
Residents of the East Coast are warned to pay close attention to the forecast over the weekend since the potential landing point of the hurricane is unknown.
Reportedly, there is "complex interaction" between a number of factors that make determining Joaquin's trajectory very difficult. Meteorologists as well as computerized forecast tools are struggling to understand how Joaquin will develop in strength and position, when facing a "cold front near the East Coast, the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida, a strong bubble of high pressure aloft over the North Atlantic Ocean, and a potentially strong area of low pressure aloft digging into the southeastern U.S. later this week."
Joaquin is expected to brew towards The Bahamas on Wednesday and Thursday. San Salvador and Rum Cay are closest to Hurrican Joaquin. These islands are expected to receive the brunt of the storm. As Weather.com reports, "On San Salvador, rainfall totals could exceed 2 feet. Sustained tropical-storm force winds of 39 mph or greater may develop Wednesday night and continue unabated for 48 hours or more." Cockburn Town, Clarence Town, and George Town are under hurricane warning, meaning these regions can expect the storm in 38 hours or less.