Hurricane Irene Bears Down on State

Time is running out to prepare for the arrival of Hurricance Irene.

With water, bread and canned goods flying off the shelves at Stop & Shop and batteries running out everywhere, residents are the ones running out of time and options to stock up on essentials to help get through the storm and any power outages that might occur.

As of Saturday at 3 a.m., Hurricane Irene was located at 33.7 North and 76.5 West with sustained winds of 90 mph. The storm, now a Category 1, was moving NNE at 14 mph.

Though the storm has not strengthened as anticipated, it's current track has it interacting less with land prior to reaching Connecticut, thus it won't weaken as much as it would with an overland track. Also, the storm will remain a serious threat because of its vast area containing high wind. Irene is forecast to remain a hurricane as it moves along the mid-Atlantic coast on Sunday

Hurricane warnings remain if effect for the four southern counties in Connecticut and tropical storm warnings for the four northern counties.

The threat of flooding also exists. Irene is forecast to produce rainfall amounts of 6 to 10 inches in the state, which could cause widespread flooding and flash floods.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said Hurricane Irene represents the kind of storm that the state hasn’t seen since the hurricane of 1938.

“We have seen this kind of activity here in a long time, nor have we seen a storm of this size, one carrying so much water and great challenges since 1938 or the 1950s. People need to understand that we are going to feel the affects of this. This has the potential of becoming a serious wind condition and a serious rain condition.”

As part of its emergency response planning, Malloy is deploying some 700 Connecticut National Guardsman. The Connecticut State Police are also taking special steps to respond to emergencies during the hurricane.

For the latest weather update, visit courant.com or the National Hurricane Center.