JOAQUIN THREATENS WEEKEND HURRICANE LANDFALL IN US

The potential for a US impact from hurricane Joaquin has grown significantly in the past 24 hours. Joaquin is now a category three major hurricane, and is expected to intensify further, with its forecast track now indicating it will recurve northwards towards the East Coast potentially impacting North Carolina and Virginia over the weekend. Forecasters said a complicated atmospheric pattern makes the future track very difficult to predict. Early Thursday, hurricane warnings were in effect for the central and northern Bahamas, a hurricane watch was effect for Bimini, and tropical storm warnings were in effect for the southeastern Bahamas. The US National Hurricane Centre said hurricane conditions were expected in the central Bahamas in the next few hours, reaching the northwest Bahamas either later today or early Friday. Joaquin is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 15 inches over the central Bahamas and 5 to 10 inches over the northwestern Bahamas and southeastern Bahamas. In addition, the NHC warned a dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by five to eight feet. Meanwhile, the US East Coast is already being hit with heavy rain from another system and flood warnings were in effect from New York northward into New England. As of 2pm Thursday, 101 flights had been cancelled and another 1,289 had been delayed.