Nets Ramp Up Hurricane Coverage As East Coast Braces For Irene

As Hurricane Irene barrels toward the East Coast of the United States, news networks are making coverage plans for the storm projected to reach Category 4 status by the time it makes landfall.

The Weather Channel is pre-empting long-form programming to cover the hurricane for the foreseeable future. The network's on-camera meteorologists are stationed at points along Irene's path, including Mike Seidel in Nags Head, N.C.; Eric Fisher in Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Abrams in Duck, N.C.; Adam Berg in Asbury Park, N.J.; and Jim Cantore in New York City.

CNN has more than a dozen reporters deployed to cover Irene, including David Mattingly, Rafael Romo and Reynolds Wolf in Kill Devil Hilss, N.C.; Jim Spellman in Nassau, Bahamas; John Zarella in Morehead City, N.C. and Jacqui Jeras and Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta.

ABC News's Lindsey Davis has been covering the hurricane from Nassau since Wednesday morning for Good Morning America, World News with Diane Sawyer and Nightline. Matt Gutman is reporting from North Carolina's Outer Banks, weather editor Sam Champion is tracking the storm from the ABC News weather center in New York and Dan Harris will appear on World News Thursday to report on what major East coast cities are to doing to prepare for the storm.

CBS News's transportation correspondent Mark Strassmann is along the Outer Banks covering Irene for the network.

NBC News did not respond to request for comment on coverage plans at press time.