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[August 24, 2011] (AP) Hurricane Irene continues approaching the East Coast on Wednesday. The system will strengthen to a Category 3 storm with winds between 111 to 130 mph.

The forecast storm track remains north-northwestward, over the Bahamas on Wednesday, then on toward the Carolinas by Saturday. Irene is expected to remain to the east of Florida. The Bahamas will see strong winds, torrential rains and dangerous surf. Rainfall totals between 5 to 10 inches are expected for the southeastern and central Bahamas, while dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by 9 to 13 feet above normal tide levels. Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., a low pressure system moving through Canada continues moving eastward, just north of the Great Lakes. Flow around the system pushes a series of frontal boundaries through the eastern half of the nation. A warm front will track over the Midwest, up the Ohio River Valley, toward the Northeast. At the same time, the backside of this system will push a cold front over the upper Midwest and northern Plains, into the mid-Mississippi River Valley. These fronts will allow for scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop across most of the Midwest. Some of these will turn severe, as the system has a history of producing strong winds, large hail and periods of heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, in the Southeast, a lingering frontal boundary will pull warm and moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. This will allow for more scattered thunderstorms to pop up across Florida and the Southeastern states.

Out West, monsoon moisture over the Southwest will advance northward, bringing a chance of thunderstorms to the high elevations of California as well as the Four Corners.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Tuesday have ranged from a morning low of 33 degrees at Mount Washington, N.H., to a high of 111 degrees at El Centro, Calif.

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Online:

Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com/

National Weather Service:
http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/

Intellicast:
http://www.intellicast.com/

[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]