Irene lashing Va coast with hurricane winds, rain

MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters say Hurricane Irene is lashing the Hampton Roads region along the coast of Virginia with hurricane force winds.

Irene’s sustained winds this evening are blowing at 80 mph and the storm is moving north-northeast still on a path to New England on Sunday.

Hurricane warnings extend north to Nantucket, Mass. A tropical storm warning extends all the way to the south coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.

The National Hurricane Center says areas of concern for the strong storm surge are Delaware Bay, Jersey shore, New York Harbor and Long Island Sound.