Watches/Warnings Extended for Irene Along U.S. East Coast

At 5pm EDT, the center of Hurricane Irene was located 575 miles South of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Maximum sustained winds were 115 mph, and the minimum central pressure was 28.05 inches of mercury (950 millibars). Irene was moving toward the North/Northwest at 15 mph.

As of the 5pm National Hurricane Center (NHC) Advisory, the following watches and warnings are now in effect for the U.S. East coast:

Tropical Storm Warning:

Coast of South Carolina from Edisto Beach to Little River Inlet

Hurricane Warning:

Coast of North Carolina from Little River Inlet to the Virginia border

This includes the Albemarle, Pamlico and Currituck Sounds

Tropical Storm Watch:

For the Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point Northward, including the Tidal Potomac

Hurricane Watch:

From the Virginia/North Carolina border, North to Sandy Hook, New Jersey

This includes Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay South of Smith Point

I will be making an updated, complete post on Irene in the next 2 hours, which will also include my latest thoughts on the likely track and impacts of the system.

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