Irene Hurricane Strengthened

Irene Hurricane  strengthened into the first hurricane of 2011 early Monday, with nearly 80 mph sustained winds, was located north about 105 miles west-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving northwest at about 13 mph.

Heavy rain accompained Irene as it made its way to Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm was forecast to drop up to 10 inches of rain on much of the Caribbean, from Puerto Rico to the Turks and Caicos, where the government of the Bahamas issued a hurricane warning.

Irene expected to strengthen as it moves over the open waters of the Caribbean, but hurricane center predictions indicate it is still most likely to remain a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 95 mph or less as it approaches the United States.

Seaports, however, remained closed in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

Source: CNN