The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said sustained winds of 80 mph were recorded near Jacksonville at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Winds gusted as much as 94 mph at the leading edge of the enormous Category 1 storm.
The Miami-based centre said Irene's outer storm bands are also dumping drenching rains in areas up and down North Carolina's coast.
After bashing the North Carolina coast, Irene is expected to continue churning its way up the East Coast on an uncertain path through some of the most densely populated areas of the United States. Some 65 million people live in that corridor vulnerable to Irene's slashing winds, heavy rains and battering coastal waves.
No comments:
Post a Comment