Irene is fluctuating a bit in intensity this AM...however the conditions in the atmosphere remain very favorable today for strengthening...so winds may increase somewhat as the day goes along...here is a photo from yesterday showing the storm moving through the Bahamas...there were wind gusts reported to be near 100 MPH with the storm itself...

Here are the first visible pictures this AM...

As far as the forecasted track goes...no real changes...still looking like a scraping of the outer NC Banks then a more NNE movement up the coastline towards NY...

The winds should be on the decrease as it moves off the mid-atlantic coastline and encounters some cooler waters. The latest recon report from 8:30 AM shows that the storm may actually have even lesser core winds surrounding the eye...and that the eye is about 15 miles across...here is an update from the folks @ the NWS in Washington...


...MAJOR HURRICANE IRENE TO STRONGLY AFFECT THE EAST COAST FROM NC INTO THE NEW ENGLAND THIS WEEKEND...

THE LATEST NUMERICAL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO ADJUST WESTWARD AS HAS
THE LAST SEVERAL NHC TRACK FORECASTS WHICH NOW HAVE EYE OF IRENE
COMING THRU THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS LATE SATURDAY BEFORE
GRAZING THE DELMARVA AND NEW JERSEY THEN MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST ON SUNDAY. THIS POTENTIALLY COULD BE EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE WITH MASSIVE DISRUPTIONS TO SOCIETY AND COMMERCE ALONG ITS ENTIRE TRACK WITH VERY HIGH WINDS/STORM SURGE/OCEAN OVERWASH/BEACH EROSION/SOUND AND BAY SIDE COASTAL FLOODING AND EXTREME TIDE POTENTIAL. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINS IN THE 6-10 INCH RANGE WILL BE COMMON WITH GREATLY INCREASED INLAND FLOOD POTENTIAL. REFER TO THE NHC FOR THE LATEST FORECAST OF IRENE ALONG WITH LOCAL NWS WARNINGS/STATEMENTS AND ADVISORIES FROM NC INTO NEW ENGLAND.
I'll have more throughout the day with another update sometime before 3PM...


Joe