Hurricane Joaquin heads toward Bahamas

Hurricane Joaquin headed toward the Bahamas on a path that could bring it to the East Coast next week, forecasters said Wednesday.

With winds of 80 mph, the hurricane was forecast to pass near the islands San Salvador and Eleuthera late Thursday and early Friday. The storm is expected to bring between 5 and 10 inches of rain to the islands and the possibility of flooding.

It was about 215 miles east-northeast of the Central Bahamas at 11 a.m. EDT.

It was too soon to know when and where the storm might hit the East Coast, but some projections predict it could be north of the Carolinas.

The hurricane season runs until the end of November.

Joaquin strengthened to a hurricane Wednesday morning and is expected to continuing becoming stronger in the next few days.

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