According to US weather forecasters, the U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami said Irene, which was a Category 2 storm Tuesday when it was located 55 miles south of Grand Turk Island and about 70 miles north-northwest of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, will barely miss Florida as it moves in on the East Coast.

A hurricane watch was in place for the northern coast of Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas eastward to the Dominican Republic border Tuesday.

The winds produced by Irene are at least 130 mph as a Category 3 storm. Category 4 produces 155mph winds and wind speeds climb even higher in Category 5.

The Weather Channel had these updates Wednesday:

Computer models are currently trending toward a forecast solution of rare potency for portions of the Northeast.

Irene has the potential to be a serious and multi-hazard threat for the major metropolitan areas of the Northeast and east of the I-95 corridor. This includes New York City. This hurricane has the potential to produce flooding rains, high winds, downed trees (on houses, cars, power lines) and widespread power outages. Significant impacts along the immediate coast include high waves, surge and beach erosion. The severity of the impacts will be determined by Irene's exact path and intensity, which remain uncertain at this time.

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