Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Irene just before 1 p.m. today, urging a voluntary evacuation of shore areas.

In a news conference at State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center, he urged tourists to abandon their plans for a weekend trip to the Jersey Shore and for residents to instead immediately focus on hurricane preparedness.

The forecast track of Hurricane Irene will cause significant impacts regardless of its exact course, forecasters from the National Hurricane Center warned in an update released at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The state of emergency mobilizes the National Guard to address the hurricane preparedness.

Plans here in Morristown have already shifted from weekend fun to weekend safety, as both the inaugural Gran Fondo NJ set for Sunday, and the fourth annual MorristownGreen.com film festival set for Saturday have already been postponed.