Hurricane Irene Sends Maryland a Sample

With Hurricane Irene barreling toward the southern tip of Florida Thursday morning, storm-like effects are already spreading north as Marylanders gear up for rain, and lots of it, throughout the weekend.

According to the latest information from the National Weather Service of Baltimore/Washington, a flash flood watch is in effect in many parts of Maryland, including Howard County, from noon until this evening. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to roll through the area throughout the day and the weekend. Some thunderstorms may be severe with gusty winds, small hail and heavy rainfall.

Despite signs of an imminent touchdown, Hurricane Irene's scheduled arrival has been pushed back to Sunday, instead of late Saturday as was previously estimated.

When the hurricane does finally hit, the National Weather Service now predicts that the center of Irene will approach Maryland with wind gusts between 74 and 110 mph.

Hurricane Irene is currently off the southern tip of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean but is expected to travel up the East Coast as far north as New England, bringing hurricane force winds, extreme rainfall, significant coastal flooding and a tornado threat, according to The Weather Channel.

Heavy rain could track as far west as western Virginia, western Maryland, central Pennsylvania and central and western New York.

Additional reporting by College Park Editor Shannon Hoffman.