CANADA

Hurricane Irene is bearing down on the U.S. East Coast Friday, nearing North Carolina and forcing evacuations and planned closings of pubilc transportation in New York as the I-95 corridor prepares and gets ready to hunker down for the massive storm. The Category 2 storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour, moving north at 14 miles per hour. Already, forecasters and officials are suggesting Hurricne Irene is the storm of a lifetime, with potential to inflict a wide path of d...

Much of Rhode Island is also under a flood watch.

Responding to Hurricane Irene's inexorable progress toward New York City, mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Friday that he was ordering mandatory evacuations for residents of vulnerable low-lying and coastal neighborhoods.

The storm is expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday.

With Hurricane Irene likely heading for the New York area, government officials are stepping up efforts to alert and prepare residents.

Hurricane Irene is heading straight for the East Coast, prompting NYC to evacuate hospitals and nursing home in vulnerable areas Friday morning. The National Weather Service has declared a hurricane watch for NYC, Long Island, and Connecticut.

A political party that does not yet exist would win the next Quebec election handily, beating both the ruling Liberals and separatists who want independence for the Canadian province, a poll indicated on Thursday.

Hurricane Irene will cause horrendous travel conditions in the U.S. East Coast region Saturday and Sunday, one official said. As airlines cancel hundreds of flights ahead of Hurricane Irene's approach, Virginia Gov. Bog McDonnell said Saturday will be a horrendous day for travel as forecasters say the storm will be one of the worst to ever hit the region. Another official -- U.S. President Barack Obama -- is urging Americans in the path of powerful Hurricane Irene to listen to...

Hurricane Irene bore down on North Carolina on Friday, tens of thousands of people evacuated and East Coast cities including New York braced for a weekend hit from the powerful storm.

President Barack Obama is urging Americans in the path of powerful Hurricane Irene to listen to warning and evacuation instructions from state and local officials. He said from his vacation rental on Martha's Vineyard Friday that citizens urged to evacuate should not hesitate. Don't wait, don't delay, Obama said. I cannot stress this highly enough, if you are in the projected path of this hurricane you have to take precautions now.

Connecticut Friday braced for Hurricane Irene -- on track to hit the state with winds up to 75 miles per hour, and perhaps higher, and heavy rain that could dump more than 8 inches of rain on already soaked ground. Gov. Daniel Malloy has already declared a state of emergency, and urges residents to prepare storm kits and an evacuation plan.

Hurricane Irene could seriously threaten areas as far north as Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket off the Massachusetts coast, according to federal officials, who extended more hurricane watches and warnings on Friday.

With Hurricane Irene likely heading for the New York area, government officials are stepping up efforts to alert and prepare residents.

The CME Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange has contingency plans to open normally Monday, despite the potential for havoc from Hurricane Irene.

Philadelphia May Nutter said Thursday that Hurricane Irene could become the worst storm to hit the East in fifty years. Governors in North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware have all declared states of emergency.

Forecasters are predicting between 5 to 10 inches of rain pounding the area over the weekend.

It has been quite a year for New York, as the city has been hit with tornadoes, a blizzard, a heat wave, an earthquake and now a hurricane.

Hurricane Irene caused havoc in the low-lying area of the Bahamas and continued its path of destruction toward the U.S. East Coast -- leading to a state of emergency in the six states along the coast.

Check back here throughout the afternoon as IBTimes' update storm map tracks Irene's path, with links to the preparations being made to counter her assault on the East Coast.

Residents are not taking any chances with the impending Category 3 weekend storm.

As Hurricane Irene tracks towards the United States, hurricane watches and warnings have been issued from North Carolina up through Massachusetts.