Aug. 27, 2011, Fourth Update

This colorized cartographic image depicts the ocean surface wind speeds and directions for Hurricane Irene, 6-hours prior to the storm's landfall in North Carolina on August 27. The highest wind speeds are shown in yellows, oranges and reds. The arrows indicate wind direction. Hurricane Irene made landfall early Saturday morning, August 27, just west of Cape Lookout, NC, as a category one hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (75 knots). It is currently over eastern North Carolina, and is forecast to gradually weaken as it moves northward along the East Coast of the United States over the next two days.