Tropical Storm Irene on August 11, 2005 at 16:15 UTC. Tropical Storm Irene will increase in strength over the next several days, possibly developing into   a hurricane that will hit the east coast of the United States, said the National Hurricane Center of Miami, Florida in a report today.  Irene was located approximately 975 kilometers south-southeast of Bermuda at 16:00 UTC today. Forecasters say that the storm is now moving in a west-  northwest direction with top sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.