UPDATE: Hurricane Irene: Tropical Storm Warning in Effect for NoVA

UPDATE: The National Weather Service has upgraded the Tropical Storm Watch to a Tropical Storm Warning for Northern Virginia as of 5 a.m. Friday. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within 36 hours, starting Saturday and continue through Sunday.

WJLA's forecast calls for: Gusty winds, several inches of rain, tropical storm force winds at or above 45 miles per hour. Prepare for power outages and downed trees. 

National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read says any deviation of the storm to the west could put the Baltimore-Washington area in Irene's direct path, according to WTOP. Read says the center of the storm is expected to pass the Delmarva peninsula Sunday morning.

As of 5 a.m. Friday, Hurricane Irene was located about 660 miles south of the Washington, D.C. area, according to the NWS. 

The Fairfax County Emergency Center has set up a blog for this weekend: http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/ Fairfax County Emergency Information will take your questions in an online Q&A today about the hurricane.

“In wet conditions and during severe storms, it is important to remember that you can’t see as well, can’t stop as fast and definitely shouldn’t drive as fast,” said Martha Mitchell Meade, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

“The first rule of thumb is if you don’t have to drive – don’t! Irene is expected to move into our area over the weekend, so people should prepare in advance so you are not on the road unnecessarily during this forceful storm. However, if motorists must get on the road, it is critical that they take steps to see and be seen in these conditions.”

AAA suggests that motorists take the following actions before, during and after the storm in order to remain safe:

 Before the Storm:

• Gas up your car.
• Clear your windshield and windows on the inside and outside, and ensure that your window wipers are in good shape.
• Be sure your tires are properly inflated.
• Check that all your lights are working properly.
• Remove excess items from the car and trunk, and replace them with an emergency road service kit. Some important items to carry in the emergency kit include: flashlight with extra batteries; reflective triangles; fire extinguisher; jumper cables; first aid kit; jack and spare tire; rain gear or extra clothing; and pocket knife. On long trips, pack a few non-perishable foods and drink items like granola bars, cans of juice, etc.
• Review maps and plan an evacuation route, if needed, including an alternate, Plan B. Keep them together with important contacts, and include someone outside the region who can serve as a central information gatherer for family members in the hurricane zone. Charge up cell phones and walkie-talkies, and buy any extra batteries needed.

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Hurricane Irene is expected to "move very close to the coastline of the Mid-Atlantic states" on Sunday, with the entire East Coast feeling significant impacts, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Even though Irene should weaken from its Category 3 status after leaving North Carolina on Saturday, "it's a very large hurricane, it's not going to weaken very rapidly and it's effects are going to be felt along a very wide area," said meteorologist James Franklin, branch chief of the Hurricane Specialist Unit at the Hurricane Center, in a 1 p.m. briefing on Thursday.

The Weather Channel predicted Thursday the Virginia area could see a Category 2 Irene with 100 mph winds on Sunday morning.

All residents from the Carolinas northward through New England should be heeding advice from local officials, he said. Parts of North Carolina, especially the Outer Banks are under mandatory evacuations.

Governor Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency in Virginia in preparation for Hurricane Irene, which is anticipated to affect the Commonwealth over the weekend. Depending on the storm’s final track, there is the potential for flooding from both rainfall and storm surge in the eastern part of the state.

Hurricane Irene continues to move north from the Bahamas as a Category 3 hurricane with 115-mile per hour winds today. A hurricane warning is in effect there; a watch is now in effect for North Carolina up to the border of Virginia.

Franklin said the Hurricane Center will issue a hurricane warning for North Carolina later today (Thursday) and that area should start feeling tropical storm-like weather by late Friday.

Officials are preparing to move war ships along the coast all the way up to Maine, according to news reports.

Officials in New Jersey and New York are worried the storm will hit their area, after National Hurricane Center officials predicted a western turn for the storm.

Patch will continue to monitor Hurricane Irene through the weekend.

For die-hard hurricane-watchers, you can track the hurricane using these apps:

Hurricane HD, which works with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch; retails for $3.99

iMap Weather Radio gives you the latest weather info on up to five locations; retails for $9.99