Hurricane Irene at 5pm EDT (17Z) was moving west-northwestward about 60 miles north of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic with max winds to 70 knots (80mph). Conditions remain favorable for development and Irene could become a CAT 2 or 3 storm as it moves across the central and northwestern Bahamas.
Now it is the entire US eastern seaboard in play…it has been more than 20 years since we’ve seen a storm like this! Let’s all hope and pray that the damage to lives and property do not turn out to be terrible.