Tropical Storm Joaquin, which had already been expected to add to a drenching of the East Coast through the weekend, strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning as it neared the Bahamas.

As of 11 a.m. ET, the hurricane had winds of 80 mph.

Forecasters are divided as to whether its eye, around which the most violent part of the storm circulates, will hit the East Coast later this week.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says additional strengthening is expected over the next two days. Meanwhile, a hurricane warning has been issued for the central Bahamas as the storm approaches, where some parts of the island nation could see over a foot of rain, the hurricane center said.

Read the article “Joaquin Becomes Hurricane; Could Hit East Coast” on usatoday.com.