Hurricane Irene has weakened slightly to a Category 2 storm as it approaches the Eastern seaboard. A new hurricane warning has now been extended to New Jersey. The new hurricane warning area extends from North Carolina’s coast, northward to Sandy Hook, N.J., just south of New York. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours. A hurricane watch has been issued for areas along the coast north of New Jersey, including Long Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass.

Although Irene’s maximum sustained winds have decreased to 110 miles an hour, the National Hurricane Center said indicated that restrengthening is possible, and the storm is expected to be near the threshold between a Category 2 and 3 storm as it reaches North Carolina’s coast.

Hurricane Irene is expected to dump between five and 10 inches of rain throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Because much of these areas were already saturated from downpours earlier this year, residents have been warned to expect heavy flooding.

Minimum Central Pressure…950 Mb…28.05 Inches.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for the coast of South Carolina from Edisto Beach northward to Little River inlet. A hurricane warning has been issued for the coast of North Carolina from Little River inlet northward to the Virginia border… including the Pamlico…Albemarle…and Currituck sounds

A hurricane watch has been issued for the east coast of the United States from the Virginia/North Carolina border northward to Sandy Hook, New Jersey … including Delaware Bay…and the Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point.

A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point northward and the tidal Potomac.

For thousands of tourists in the barrier islands off North Carolina, the threat of Hurricane Irene has just cut their vacations short. Earlier today, North Carolina state officials ordered tourists and residents to find a safe spot farther inland. Local news reports have pegged the number of evacuees (tourists and residents) at approximately 200,000 persons.

A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continues, even though the winds may have subsided below hurricane intensity.

The waves are expected to be big, between 8 and 9 feet high, making the water extremely dangerous for swimmers and increasing the threat of rip currents. Already officials at the Coast Guard’s Cape Canaveral headquarters have stated that they have a plan in place to deal with any intense weather the Space Coast might see.

Brevard County lifeguards reportedly said they are increasing their numbers on duty for the weekend, and the American Red Cross already has volunteers on stand-by from Florida all the way up to North Carolina while also making sure that their storm shelters are ready to go, relief supplies are stocked and volunteers are on alert.

The prognosis is simple, Floridians must be prepared for whatever Tropical Storm Emily might bring.

• Garbage bags
• Lanterns
• Rain coats
• Batteries
• Machete
• Water storage containers
• Generator (if within budget)
• Chain saw
• Plywood
• Hammer and nails
• Tarpaulin
• Heavy duty gloves
• Emergency gas
• Tape
• Buckets
• Hurricane shutters
• Fire extinguishers
• Plastic sheeting
• Coolers and storage boxes

• Bottled water
• Non-perishable foods (especially canned items with a non-electric can opener)
• First aid kit
• Flash light(s) and extra batteries
• Battery-operated radio
• Candles (or kerosene lamp) and matches
• Utility knife

Fiona is the sixth named storm for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season and is currently packing winds of 40 mph (65 kph). Early computer models suggest that Fiona will take a path similar to both hurricanes Danielle and Earl – moving northwest in the Atlantic and passing west of Bermuda.

Click here to see updated Tropical Storm Fiona Trackers

While it’s still too soon to tell whether the storm will make landfall on the U.S. coast, Earl’s outer bands are likely to hit North Carolina this Thursday (September 2), kicking up large swells and possibly generating rip currents and pounding surf throughout the upcoming Labor Day weekend.;

As of 3 p.m. ET today, the National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Earl was located 60 miles (120 kilometers) from St. Thomas (virgin Islands) and 120 miles (230 kilometers) from San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the time, the storm’s eye was passing just north of the British Virgin Islands. It is expected to swing Northwest by tomorrow (August 31).

Click here to see updated Hurricane Earl Trackers

A hurricane warning is in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, as well as for the Dutch islands of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. A hurricane watch is in effect for the British Virgin Islands, the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico including the islands of Culebra and Vieques.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Earl, with its maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), could hit the northern Leeward Islands later tonight (Sunday, August 29). It is likely to become a major hurricane by Tuesday — probably while positioned just north of Puerto Rico.

Forecasters have indicated that there is a strong chance that Hurricane Earl could brush the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region later this week, with its closest expected approach being to North Carolina on Thursday. At a minimum, the U.S. East Coast is likely to see pounding surf and dangerous rip currents as a result of Hurricane Earl.

Hurricane Danielle is not expected to have much impact on the Caribbean and the United States, but may create rough conditions for Bermuda by Sunday, August 29. Don’t let your guard down just yet though, as the National Hurricane Center has warned that an ‘angry red blotch’ of weather located just south of the Cape Verde Islands, signals a mass of thunderstorms that stands a 90% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours. This will be EARL, and who to tell where he’ll end up!