It's Official: Irene First Hurricane of Season

Expected to affect Florida, could hit Georgia, Carolinas
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 22, 2011 5:45 AM CDT
Hurricane Irene Officially First Hurricane of Season
In this NOAA satellite image taken Monday, Aug. 22, 2011 at 1:45 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Irene is visible at about 35 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.   (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season has officially developed. Irene is currently moving over Puerto Rico; it could eventually rattle Florida and skim Georgia and the Carolinas later this week. First, though, it’s headed toward Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The storm has maximum sustained wins of 75mph and is pushing west-northwest at 12mph, the AP reports. (More Hurricane Irene stories.)

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