Will Hurricane Irene Hit Wall Street?

Florida residents may beg to differ with

. Hurricane Irene, originally scheduled for a rough Florida landing, has instead turned north. When it finishes ravaging the Bahamas, it is expected to follow the coastline north and land somewhere between North Carolina and the Northeast. Despite appearing to miss Florida with a direct hit, the storm still will pack a punch for the Sunshine State. Floridians can expect rain squalls and heavy showers as early as Thursday night and into Friday. The storms may contain wind gusts over 40 mph along with rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Wind gusts from the storm bands could also reach tropical storm levels, so residents outside the direct path of Irene should still be prepared for emergency conditions. According to the Weather Channel, Irene is expected to perhaps weaken slightly as it approaches the North Carolina coast Saturday. Even with the potential weakening, Irene would still be a major hurricane in North Carolina. North Carolina is bracing for an impact on late Friday night and into Saturday. North Carolina will probably see winds over 100 mph, torrential rainfall, ocean and sound flooding and a damaging storm surge are expected on the Outer Banks and western shores of the sounds. The Weather Channel is also predicting hurricane force winds over the mainland to I-95. Extremely heavy rainfall is possible as far west as central North Carolina and north-central South Carolina through Saturday afternoon. After landfall in North Carolina, Irene is expected to head along the coast toward New York City. Depending on how much it weakens, Irene could have an impact on NYC Sunday night. While widespread wind damage and power outages are likely throughout the Northeast, there is no indication yet that this will specifically hit New York City, or if Wall Street itself will be effected. The hurricane remains a category three event and residents in its path should take precautions now. Follow Irene related events at the Weather Channel, either on television or at

.