Weaker Irene Hits Carolinas

Less than 24 hours before she is expected to reach Virginia, Hurricane Irene has made landfall on the Carolina coast.

The now-Category 1 storm recorded "sustained winds of 80 mph" near Jacksonville around 6:15 a.m. before hitting Cape Lookout, NC, a little more than an hour later, according to the Associated Press.

The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for Fairfax, Arlington, Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania and King George counties as well as Falls Church and Alexandria. The warning includes the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland.

Howard Bernstein, meteorologist for the District of Columbia's WUSA9, predicts wind gusts between 40–60 mph when the eye of the storm reaches Maryland early Sunday. 

"Rain could be anywhere from 2–4 inches," Bernstein told Patch.

The storm was about 330 miles south of the District of Columbia as of 8 a.m.

"I would expect some power outages," said Bernstein, who cautioned against damage the high winds could cause. "If you have tall trees outside your house, don’t sleep upstairs."

Category 1 hurricanes are defined as having a central barometric pressure of 28.94 inches or more, winds of 74 to 95 mph and a 4- to 5-foot storm surge while causing minimal damage. Irene had earlier in the week been a Category 3 storm, meaning winds up to 130 mph and storm surges as high as 12 feet while causing "extensive" damage.

AccuWeather reported storm surges as high as 8.5 feet on the Carolina coast at 7:30 a.m., around the same time rainfall from Irene’s outer band reached Maryland and Delaware beaches.

The Weather Channel has issued an “extreme” threat level for Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland along with parts of Southern Maryland. The threat level is considered “high” from Baltimore to the District of Columbia and “medium” or “low” in the far western parts of the state.

About 29 million people are under a hurricane warning, according to The Weather Channel.