Hurricane Irene tracked across the northwestern Bahamas yesterday and gusty winds and rain affected parts of central Florida.

In the Bahamas, the Cat. 3 hurricane knocked down trees and tore roofs off buildings. Officials are accessing the damage after winds gusting up to 150 mph pounded the island chain. It is expected tonight (Fri) Irene will still be a very large and powerful Category 3 hurricane when it impacts eastern North Carolina and the outer banks on Saturday, and a very large and damaging Category 2 hurricane when it makes landfall on Long Island and southern New England, Sunday afternoon.

Rob Lightbown on his Crown Weather website said on Thu (25) “I think in the end we will see a track that is further east than the current operational and hurricane models. The entire synoptics of a broad trough of low pressure over the eastern United States leading to a track into Philadelphia and New York City is hard for me to foresee.  We don’t have a deep trough of low pressure that is forecast.”

Please monitor this storm closely and go to Crown Weather Services at www.crownweather.com and to the National Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

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Tropical Depression Ten in the far Eastern Atlantic will not be a threat to any land areas over the next seven days, and will probably move too far north to ever be a threat to land.