Irene became the season’s first hurricane early today, raking Puerto Rico and moving on a track toward the southeast U.S. Irene intensified into a hurricane at 4 a.m., while it was over Puerto Rico. The storm flooded streets, knocked down trees, caused several rivers to overflow their banks and left more than a million people without power.
At 10 a.m., Irene was located about 70 miles northeast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, moving west-northwest at 13 mph with sustained winds of 80 mph. The National Hurricane Center’s five-day forecast track steers Irene along the north coast of Hispaniola today, near the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday, near the central Bahamas on Wednesday, and paralleling Florida’s east coast on Friday. Irene is predicted to become a major hurricane, with winds of 115 mph, when it makes landfall Saturday morning near Charleston, S.C.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the north coast of the Dominican Republic from the Haiti border eastward to Cabo Engano. A hurricane watch is in effect for the north coast of Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas east to the Dominican Republic border, and the central Bahamas. No watches or warnings have been issued for the mainland U.S. For more information on Irene, click here for the National Hurricane Center’s website.
