Tropical Storm Joaquin upgraded to a hurricane as the flooded East Coast is warned the storm could hit this weekend

  • Hurricane Joaquin wind speeds have already reached up to 75 mph
  • Third hurricane of Atlantic season is centered around east of Bahamas
  • Forecasters predict it could hit the mid-Atlantic region by this weekend
  • Bahamas has already been put under a hurricane warning for Joaquin
  • Flooded East Coast also bracing for heavy rain as part of Storm Marty

By Hannah Parry For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:07 EST, 30 September 2015 | Updated: 16:14 EST, 30 September 2015

Millions of Americans on the East Coast are braced for serious flooding through the weekend after Tropical Storm Joaquin was upgraded to a Category One hurricane.

Joaquin's wind speeds have already reached up to 75 mph (120 kph) with the National Hurricane Center warning it will only strengthen over the coming days.

The third hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season is currently centered around 250 miles east of the Bahamas, which has been placed under a hurricane warning, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologists are now predicting that it will move over the islands tonight and could hit the mid-Atlantic region by Sunday. Other forecasters predict it could take a sharp northwards turn taking it parallel to the U.S. 

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Millions of Americans on the East Coast are braced for serious flooding through the weekend after Tropical Storm Joaquin was upgraded to a Category One hurricane (pictured approaching the Bahamas this morning)

Millions of Americans on the East Coast are braced for serious flooding through the weekend after Tropical Storm Joaquin was upgraded to a Category One hurricane (pictured approaching the Bahamas this morning)

The hurricane is expected to pass over the islands tonight. Forecasters warn it could hit the mid-Atlantic region by Sunday

The hurricane is expected to pass over the islands tonight. Forecasters warn it could hit the mid-Atlantic region by Sunday

Hurricane Joaquin became the 2015 Atlantic season's third hurricane Wednesday morning with wind speeds of up to 75mph

Hurricane Joaquin became the 2015 Atlantic season's third hurricane Wednesday morning with wind speeds of up to 75mph

Already flooded: A storm system has already soaked much of the Southeast. Here, Roanoke City Swift Water Rescue workers bring flood victims from their home, surrounded by swollen Craven's Creek flood water, to safety in Virginia on Tuesday

Already flooded: A storm system has already soaked much of the Southeast. Here, Roanoke City Swift Water Rescue workers bring flood victims from their home, surrounded by swollen Craven's Creek flood water, to safety in Virginia on Tuesday

'It could be a significant situation,' said Brian Fortier, senior meteorologist at The Weather Channel, told NBC.

'Everyone along the Northeast coast, right up to New England, should keep a close eye on the forecasts.'

Meanwhile the already flooded East Coast is bracing for more heavy rain this week as part of Storm Marty.

The separate system, which drenched the Southeast yesterday, has now triggered flood warnings for the Northeast today.

More to come? Heavy rain over the northern Appalachians and New England over the next two to three days could greatly enhance the potential for Joaquin to cause flooding if it comes ashore

More to come? Heavy rain over the northern Appalachians and New England over the next two to three days could greatly enhance the potential for Joaquin to cause flooding if it comes ashore

Wet: Residents stand at the flooded end of Riffe Street on Tuesday near Shawsville, Virginia where steady rains forced the early closure of schools and flooded streets from Southside Virginia to the Shenandoah Valley

Wet: Residents stand at the flooded end of Riffe Street on Tuesday near Shawsville, Virginia where steady rains forced the early closure of schools and flooded streets from Southside Virginia to the Shenandoah Valley

As it moves towards the Bahamas, Joaquin will be passing over ocean temperatures near 30°C, the warmest seen there since record keeping began in 1880. Here, Swollen flood waters from Craven's Creek surround a home Tuesday in Roanoke

As it moves towards the Bahamas, Joaquin will be passing over ocean temperatures near 30°C, the warmest seen there since record keeping began in 1880. Here, Swollen flood waters from Craven's Creek surround a home Tuesday in Roanoke

Storm Marty has now weakened to a tropical depression as it moves away from Mexico's coast. 

But the saturated ground, means that the impending rains of Joaquin pose an even greater risk.

Joaquin is forecast to strengthen over the next few days and could threaten the Carolinas at the weekend as a Category One hurricane with winds reaching 90 mph on the Saffir-Simpson wind intensity scale, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

'Tropical storm conditions could reach portions of the Central Bahamas by Thursday morning,' the NHC said.

Long-range forecast models were highly uncertain as it moves north and it could stay well offshore or brush the Outer Banks, before possibly heading towards the north-east coast, the NHC said.

Heavy rain over the northern Appalachians and New England over the next two to three days could greatly enhance the potential for Joaquin to cause flooding if it comes ashore, forecasters at the privately-run Weather Underground said.

Warm water, which give storms energy, could help the storm intensify rapidly.

Hurricane Joaquin is seen churning in the Caribbean. The exact track has yet to be determined, but there is a possibility of landfall in the U.S. anywhere from North Carolina to the Northeast

Hurricane Joaquin is seen churning in the Caribbean. The exact track has yet to be determined, but there is a possibility of landfall in the U.S. anywhere from North Carolina to the Northeast

This NOAA satellite image, taken in the early hours of this morning, show Hurricane Joaquin moving into the Bahama Islands with maximum sustained winds of seventy miles per hour. Rain clouds also cover New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Ohio River Valley 

This NOAA satellite image, taken in the early hours of this morning, show Hurricane Joaquin moving into the Bahama Islands with maximum sustained winds of seventy miles per hour. Rain clouds also cover New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Ohio River Valley 

Soaked: The storm system that soaked the Southeast  and was on track to bring misery into Maine and points north (Image courtesy The Weather Channel)

Soaked: The storm system that soaked the Southeast  and was on track to bring misery into Maine and points north (Image courtesy The Weather Channel)

Meanwhile, a separate system which drenched the Southeast yesterday has triggered flooding warnings across the Northeast today. Forecasters warn there will be heavy rain on the East Coast this weekend making it more vulnerable to flooding

Meanwhile, a separate system which drenched the Southeast yesterday has triggered flooding warnings across the Northeast today. Forecasters warn there will be heavy rain on the East Coast this weekend making it more vulnerable to flooding

Hurricane Joaquin continues to intensify while a complicated atmospheric pattern makes its future course difficult to track

Hurricane Joaquin continues to intensify while a complicated atmospheric pattern makes its future course difficult to track

Joaquin is forecast to strengthen over the next few days and could threaten the Carolinas at the weekend as a Category One hurricane with winds reaching 90 mph on the Saffir-Simpson wind intensity scale, according to the National Hurricane Center

Joaquin is forecast to strengthen over the next few days and could threaten the Carolinas at the weekend as a Category One hurricane with winds reaching 90 mph on the Saffir-Simpson wind intensity scale, according to the National Hurricane Center

The Bahamas have been on alert, with the southeast given a hurricane warning and the northwest put on watch

The Bahamas have been on alert, with the southeast given a hurricane warning and the northwest put on watch

As it moves towards the Bahamas Joaquin will be passing over ocean temperatures near 30°C (86°F)- the warmest seen there since record keeping began in 1880,' according to Jeff Masters and Bob Henson, meteorologists who co-author a blog for Weather Underground.

Joaquin was the third named hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season after forming east of the Bahamas late Monday.

By Tuesday, it was located about 405 miles (650 km) east of the northwestern Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), the Miami-based NHC said.

Joaquin is moving toward the west at 5 mph (7 kph), the NHC said, with hurricane force winds extending 90 miles (150 km) from the center.

The government's annual forecast predicted a quieter-than-normal 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, with six to 10 named storms and up to four reaching hurricane status of 74 mph (119 kph).

So far the only the other two hurricanes this year, Danny and Fred, which both ran out of steam while still far out at sea.

Among the factors in this year's predicted weaker hurricane season is the El Niño weather phenomenon, the warming of Pacific waters that affects wind circulation patterns and makes the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic-Caribbean basin less likely.

Shannon Sledd and her two sons, Dustin, and Zachery, watch approaching flood waters from the deck of their home near Shawsville, Virginia

Shannon Sledd and her two sons, Dustin, and Zachery, watch approaching flood waters from the deck of their home near Shawsville, Virginia

Big guns: Swift water rescue teams from the Longshop-McCoy and Elliston fire departments used a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle to access a potential rescue scene on Alleghany Spring Road, Tuesday, near Shawsville

Big guns: Swift water rescue teams from the Longshop-McCoy and Elliston fire departments used a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle to access a potential rescue scene on Alleghany Spring Road, Tuesday, near Shawsville

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