Map: Forecasted Path of Hurricane Irene

MIAMI – Hurricane Irene was cutting a destructive path through the Caribbean en route to the United States, where emergency officials in Florida and nearby states worried it could become the first hurricane to seriously threaten the coast in three years.

For now, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season had maximum sustained winds early Tuesday of around 100 mph (160 kph) and was centred about 70 miles (113 kilometres) south of Grand Turk Island. The hurricane was moving west-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph).

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Irene was forecast to pass over or near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas by Tuesday night and be near the central Bahamas early Wednesday.

This map, created by the National Hurricane Center, forecasts the path Hurricane Irene may follow between now and Sunday, August 28.

Source: www.nhc.noaa.gov 

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