"DUCK, N.C. — Hurricane watches were posted for New York and much of the Northeast on Friday morning as Hurricane Irene jogged northward, putting the whole of the East Coast on alert.
The hurricane warning that was put into effect in North Carolina on Thursday was extended by the National Hurricane Center to Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey on Friday morning, indicating that preparations for the storm should be completed as soon as possible.
The center said Friday morning that maximum winds at the center of the hurricane were 110 miles per hour, making it a Category 2 storm, down slightly from the 115-m.p.h. winds that were reported a day earlier. But it could gain strength as it approaches the coast.
Weather experts are exceedingly concerned about Irene because it is set to lash parts of the United States that are less accustomed to hurricanes, like the Jersey Shore and Long Island. The storm is expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday, then scrape up the coast toward New York on Sunday."
Brian Stelter reports for the New York Times August 26, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
Interactive Hurricane Irene Tracker Map (New York Times)
"New York City Preps for 1st Hurricane in Decades" (AP)
"Refineries Likely to Shut as Hurricane Irene Nears" (AP)
"With Hurricanes, There Is Plenty of Time to Evacuate, and That's the Problem" (New York Times)
DC Postpones Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication (Washington Post)
"Hurricane Irene: Billions in Damage Expected Along East Coast" (ABC News)
Advertisement 
