Irene has upgraded to a "dangerous" category four storm in the Caribbean Sea.

The National Hurricane Center in the United States said that Hurricane Irene upgraded to a "dangerous" Category 4 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday morning, but its track is expected to stay far away from the East Coast of the United States. The center's announcement, issued around 8 a.m. Eastern Time, indicated that Irene's maximum sustained winds reached 145 miles per hour, with even higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center. This storm, which upgraded to a hurricane on Friday, further intensified as it moved towards the Caribbean Sea due to unusually warm sea temperatures this weekend.