Insurance Companies all over  both Carolina's have officially suspended binding authority on property, meaning no new coverage can be bound until the hurricane passes.

Insurance carriers have also issued binding suspensions on any new earthquake coverage, a thing that most east coast insurance representatives have never experienced with regard to both Hurricanes and earthquakes simultaneously.~BLS

The Weather Channel

Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, is approaching the southern Bahamas and has its sights set on the U.S. East Coast.

As you can see on our projected path map below, Irene is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher on Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale) by Wednesday or Thursday as it tracks across the Bahamas on a path towards the East Coast of the U.S. Friday into the weekend.

Interactive map: Hurricane Irene interactive projected path

To access our full collection of maps to track Hurricane Irene and its threats, use the links below or scroll down.

Click to access: Status | Satellite | Model Tracks | Watches & Warnings | Threat Level | East Coast Threats | What people are saying | Get prepared!

Find out the potential impacts from Hurricane Irene in the Bahamas and the U.S. on The Weather Channel's exclusive threat level graphics below.

• We've expanded the "HIGH" threat level category from eastern North Carolina northward to New England.
• Computer models are currently trending toward a forecast solution of rare potency for the Northeast.
• Irene is a serious and multi-hazard threat for the major metropolitan areas of the Northeast along and east of the I-95 corridor. This includes New York City.  This hurricane has the potential to produce flooding rains, high winds, downed trees (on houses, cars, power lines) and widespread power outages.  Significant impacts along the immediate coast include high waves, surge and beach erosion.
  
• For North Carolina, odds are increasing that the main impact will be confined to the Outer Banks and elsewhere in extreme eastern NC
• The threat level for the east coast of Florida has been decreased to medium as it appears the Sunshine State will be spared from the worst of Irene.
• Timing: Irene will make its closest approach to the Carolinas late Friday night through Saturday. Northeast U.S. impacts would be this weekend into perhaps Monday of next week.
• We remain several days away from Irene's direct impacts along the US East Coast and critical uncertainties remain. Stay tuned to The Weather Channel and right here on weather.com for further updates.
  

Southeast U.S. & Bahamas Threat Level The threat level in portions of the central and northern Bahamas is extreme. Hurricane Irene will track from the southern Bahamas to the northern Bahamas late Tuesday through early Friday morning. This is a potentially very dangerous situation and preparations should be rushed to completion. Exteme wind damage and destructive storm surge flooding are possible. > See Current Threat Level

Northeast U.S. Threat Level Latest threat level map for the Northeast U.S. > See Current Threat Level

What could Irene bring to the Northeast United States? Below is an early look at the potential threats this weekend.

East Coast Threats: Hurricane Irene Potential impacts on the Northeast from Hurricane Irene. > Read Article > See what is steering Irene north

So, where exactly is the cyclone's center located now? If you're plotting the storm along with us, click on the "Current Information" map below to get the latitude/longitude coordinates, distance away from the nearest land location, maximum sustained winds and central pressure (measured in millibars).

Current Information Latest status including wind speed, location, movement and pressure. > See Current Storm Information

How does the system look on satellite imagery. Click on "infrared" satellite imagery, to see how "cold" the cloud tops are. Brighter orange and red shadings concentrated near the center of circulation signify a healthy tropical cyclone.

The second link below is a link to a clickable, zoomable "interactive satellite" loop. Finally, we have a visible satellite loop, available only during daylight hours.

Current Satellite Imagery Latest infrared and visible satellite imagery. > See Infrared Satellite Loop > See Interactive Satellite Loop (clickable/zoomable map) > See Visible Satellite Loop (daylight hours only)

Meteorologists have a variety of numerical models to use as guidance in forecasting the track of tropical cyclones. Get an "inside look" at what these various models are saying regarding the track of this current system. (Important note: These model tracks should not be considered an official forecast. For the official forecast, see our current forecast swath.)

Model Forecast Tracks See where the various models forecast the center of this system to track. > Enlarge Model Forecast Tracks

Are there any tropical storm or hurricane watches or warnings posted? You can see the latest watches and warnings in the maps below. If there are no advisories, the maps will say, "This graphic is currently not available." This doesn't necessarily mean these conditions will not affect any locations. Rather, it may be beyond the 48-hour window to issue advisories.

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Watches Latest watches issued for parts of the coast. > See Watches

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Warnings Latest warnings issued for parts of the coast. > See Warnings