Hurricane Warning Issued As Joaquin Strengthens

Tropical Storm Joaquin strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning — but meteorologists remain divided about whether it is likely to smash into the East Coast. Joaquin — the third hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season — is packing sustained winds of 75 mph as it lurks about 250 miles east of the Bahamas, according to the National Weather Service. Regardless of whether the hurricane makes landfall in the U.S. — which some forecasters believe could happen in the mid-Atlantic region on Sunday — a huge swath of the East Coast is bracing for heavy rain and flooding this week.