Hurricane Irene touched down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina early this morning and is moving east.

Strong winds have knocked out power to more than 91,000 customers along the coast as Irene dumps eight inches of rain on parts of North Carolina.

The storm is already sending heavy rain to Southern Maryland and to area beaches. Doppler radar reported that in some places of Virginia, 3 inches of rain have fallen.

If the storm follows the path predicted by the National Weather Service, it will move over the mid-Atlantic coast tonight and hit southern New England on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds are currently reported at around 90 mph, making it as a category one hurricane.