Hurricane Joaquin Still Category 4 Storm, But Threat To U.S. East Coast Decreasing

Hurricane Joaquin was still a Category 4 storm early Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was still battering the Bahamas, but the latest forecast models suggest a track offshore of the U.S. East Coast from the Carolinas to the mid-Atlantic region, with the threat of a direct impact in those areas decreasing, said the NHC. "However, there is still uncertainty in how close Joaquin could come to Bermuda, extreme southeastern New England/Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia during the next several days, and interests in those areas should continue to monitor the progress of the hurricane," the NHC said in its latest advisory.