Irene Upgraded to Hurricane

View the updated story thread.

Tropical Storm Irene became a hurricane overnight, and through Saturday, forecasters say residents from Miami to North Carolina should be wary of of the storm's path.

The hurricane is expected to travel over Puerto Rico today and then through the Bahamas late Tuesday night through early Friday morning, according to the Weather Channel.

Irene could make landfall possibly as soon as Thursday in South Florida, according to the latest advisory posted on the Weather Channel’s site. Georgia and the Carolinas could meet Irene on Friday, but it’s not certain if the storm will still be a hurricane or if its path will even bring the storm this way.

Already the storm has wind speeds of 75 mph and is classified as a Category 1 system, according to the National Hurricane Center, but its exact path is unknown and it may not pose a real threat to the Southeast.

"Therefore, we are depicting the threat to the Southeast coast … as 'moderate,' for now, due to the uncertainty," the Weather Channel wrote.

The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane warnings for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Virgin Islands and all of Haiti.