Hurricane Irene Expected Sunday Night as Category 2

Update 9:52 a.m., Thursday:

Hurricane Irene is expected to have maximum sustained winds of about 90 mph when it makes landfall (or its closest approach) Sunday night, Connecticut's Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection said Thursday. That would make the storm a strong category I hurricane.

Below is the complete forecast from DESPP, issued at 8:15 a.m.:

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is forecasting that Irene will intensify today and reach Category IV by early Friday morning. Irene is then forecast to move North on Friday and Saturday crossing the outer banks of Cape Hatteras around midnight Saturday night.

Irene is then forecast to move up the East Coast and make landfall in the New Haven area around 10:00 p.m. Sunday night as a strong Category I hurricane. The first effects from Irene are expected to begin Saturday afternoon with light rain which is expected to become heavy at times by midnight. Heavy rain is expected to continue from midnight on Saturday through the passage of the center of Irene Sunday night just before midnight. Tropical storm force winds are expected to enter the state Sunday afternoon and hurricane force winds are expected by Sunday evening. Although forecast confidence is getting better, Irene is still 3 days away and additional changes to the track forecast are likely.

Update 2:24 p.m., Wednesday:

The Norwalk Office of Emergency Management released a statement Wednesday about the approach of Hurricane Irene and posted it on the City Hall website. The statement reads, in part:

"In Norwalk, the Office of Emergency Management is coordinating the City's Emergency Management team, community and private sector partners and our disaster volunteer corps for preparedness, response and recovery activities. Should coastal evacuations be needed, the City will use it's notification system to inform residents and provide shelter updates. We will continue to update the website and work with local media to distribute information.

"Residents and businesses are reminded to use this time before the storm to update emergency plans and contact information as well as check their disaster supply kits, especially flashlights, medications and other needed items. For information about how to prepare for emergencies, visit: www.ready.gov"

Original article:

Hurricane Irene — presently a category two hurricane centered southeast of the Bahamas — could roll into the region late this weekend, if National Weather Service projections hold.

The National Hurricane Center's latest warning cone indicates Irene may affect Connecticut late Sunday or early Monday, with the storm potentially still at hurricane strength when it passes through.

As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Irene's maximum sustained winds were at 110 mph, with hurricane force winds extending up to 40 miles from the center. The storm was expected to intensify as it makes a gradual turn to the northwest today, forecasters said.

No warnings were in effect for the U.S. mainland as of Wednesday morning, but the hurricane center expects the storm to pass along the Eastern Seaboard this weekend.

The center also gives Fairfield County a 20-30 percent chance of experiencing tropical storm-force winds between now and 2 a.m. Monday.

Editor's note: This article originally was published by Darien Patch.