Irene Now a Major Hurricane

As of 8AM Wednesday Hurricane Irene is a Category 3 storm with a sustained wind of 115 mph. This major hurricane is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph. A gradual turn to the northwest is forecast later today. The core of Irene will move through the Bahamas later today as well, dumping 6-12" of rainfall and producing storm surge ranging from 7-11 ft. While Florida is not forecast to take a direct hit, we in southwest Florida should expect the breeze to pick up later this afternoon and especially Thursday, but tropical storm force winds on the Gulf Coast are not expected.

-KW