Irene Becomes Ninth Named Storm

Miami’s National Hurricane Center designated Tropical Storm Irene as the ninth named storm of the current season on Sunday, Aug. 7. It is the earliest date on record to see the appearance of 9 named storms.

Irene is currently in the Central Atlantic about 955 miles (1540 kms) east of the northern Leeward Islands, and is moving toward the west-northwest at around 14 mph (22 km/hr.) The NHC indicated “this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/hr) with higher gusts.

“Irene remains a poorly organized tropical cyclone and little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 kms) mainly to the northeast of the center. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches).”

Although the NHC’s five-day chart projection shows Irene headed for Bermuda, it also indicates that the storm is expected to turn further north, missing the island. On that track Irene would pose no danger to the U.S. mainland and would not enter the Caribbean.