Miami, October 1 (RHC)-- Hurricane Joaquin, a powerful, Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 210 kilometers an hour, is lashing the central zone of the Bahama Islands. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, the hurricane has intensified in recent hours.

At 1500 GMT, the hurricane was situated at latitude 23.0 degrees north and longitude 74.2 degrees west, moving slowing at a speed of nine kilometers per hour.

According to its predicted course, the eye of Hurricane Joaquin will move over the central Bahamas this evening and northwestern islands on Friday. The Miami weather center reports that Saturday and Sunday, the hurricane will move in a northeasterly direction and run parallel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Experts warn that the storm could intensify in the next 48 hours and become a Category 5 storm this weekend.