Hurricane Irene’s rains reached the East Coast this morning, ahead of a weekend of punishing weather from the Carolinas to as far north as Massachusetts, with at least 65 million people in the storm’s path. Rain began falling along the coasts of North and South Carolina as Irene trudged toward the U.S. Thousands already were without power this morning as the storm’s outer bands began raking South Carolina.
Meanwhile, a hurricane warning was expanded from North Carolina to Sandy Hook, N.J., which is south of New York. A hurricane watch extended north to the mouth of the Merrimack River, which includes New York, Long Island, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass. Irene weakened slightly this morning, dropping to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph. Some restrengthening is possible as Irene moves over energizing Atlantic waters, and the storm is expected to be near Category 3 status as it reaches North Carolina’s coast early Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center says.
At 10 a.m., Irene was passing well off the northeast Florida coast, about 270 miles east-northeast of Jacksonville, Fla., and 330 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The storm was expected to make a gradual turn to the north-northeast Saturday or Sunday. Jacksonville Beach (Fla.) Pier reported sustained tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph, and the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship reported 46 mph winds from a location 32 miles east-northeast of Marineland, which is located in Flagler County, Fla. For more information on Irene, click here for the National Hurricane Center website.
