Latest Forecast for Irene is Bad News for Northeast

People from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to New England had better get their floaties on because Irene is going to be really big:

...MAJOR HURRICANE IRENE TO STRONGLY AFFECT THE EAST COAST FROM NC
INTO THE NEW ENGLAND THIS WEEKEND...

THE LATEST NUMERICAL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO ADJUST WESTWARD AS HAS THE LAST SEVERAL NHC TRACK FORECASTS WHICH NOW HAVE EYE OF IRENE COMING THRU THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS LATE SATURDAY BEFORE GRAZING THE DELMARVA AND NEW JERSEY THEN MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST ON SUNDAY. THIS POTENTIALLY COULD BE EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE WITH MASSIVE DISRUPTIONS TO SOCIETY AND COMMERCE ALONG ITS ENTIRE TRACK WITH VERY HIGH WINDS/STORM SURGE/OCEAN OVERWASH/BEACH EROSION/SOUND AND BAY SIDE COASTAL FLOODING AND EXTREME TIDE POTENTIAL. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINS IN THE 6-10 INCH RANGE WILL BE COMMON WITH GREATLY INCREASED INLAND FLOOD POTENTIAL. REFER TO THE NHC FOR THE LATEST FORECAST OF IRENE ALONG WITH LOCAL NWS WARNINGS/STATEMENTS AND ADVISORIES FROM NC INTO NEW ENGLAND.

There's more technical stuff at the link. One model has 10.5" of rain falling on New York City. With much of the area already saturated from previous rains, that much water will have no place to go. Combined with high winds and you'll have trees and power lines down everywhere and a disruption that could last weeks in some areas.