Hurricane Irene on course to hit US by weekend

Winds of up to 120mph could soon be threatening the east coast state of North Carolina in the US, as Hurricane Irene builds strength in the Carribean.

The Category 3 storm is the first hurricane of the season, and was caught on film by the crew on the International Space Station.

It has already hit several islands in the Carribean including the Dominican Republic, where flooding caused widespread power cuts and the evacuation of 11,000 people.