Hurricane Irene Could Hit U.S. by Thursday

A hurricane warning for Tropical Storm Irene was issued for the southern coast of the Dominican Republic as well as Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A projection map also indicates that Irene could reach the United States by Thursday evening, after possibly hitting the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Therefore, south Floridians should be on the watch even though the storm is still some 1300 miles from Miami, as of 8 a.m. Sunday. It is certainly something that residents of South Florida should monitor, said Eric Blake, hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.

Irene was moving with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and headed west at 33 mph as of 5 a.m. ET. The hurricane center forecast strengthening of the storm during the next 48 hours, and that it could become a hurricane by Monday.

The center also predicts some 4 to 7 inches of rain in Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Up to 10 inches are rain are expected in isolated areas.