Turks and Caicos residents last night braced themselves for impact as Hurricane Irene the season's first moved across the islands.Heavy rains, 90mph winds and intermittent power loss were reported. The Category One storm was predicted to continue west-northwest, gradually turning north.Irene is expected to pass along the Bahamas through today and into tomorrow, with a possibility of making landfall on the US East Coast by the weekend.Forecast models also show the storm picking up strength later today.The Bermuda Weather Service does not currently rank Irene a threat to the Island.Go to The Royal Gazette's Storm Watch page for up to the minute information on Irene and other tropical weather: