Irene Hurricane

Satellites caught this view of Irene just 28 minutes before it made landfall in New York City as a strong tropical storm.

The GOES-13 took this image of Hurricane Irene at 8:32 a.m. EDT today (Aug. 28). The image showed Irene's huge cloud cover blanketing New England, New York and over Toronto, Canada. Shadows in Irene's clouds indicate the bands of thunderstorms that surround Irene.

Flooding occurred in coastal and riverside areas of the city, and downed trees were reported in many spots around the city. Overall, though, Irene was not the worst case scenario it could have been for New York City.

The storm did still cause considerable damage all along the Eastern Seaboard and will surely become the 10th billion-dollar weather disaster for the United States in 2011.

The center of the storm was about 10 miles (20 kilometers) west of Danbury, Conn., and is causing flooding and other problems across New England. Irene's winds are down to 60 mph (95 kph).

A tropical storm warning is still in effect from Chincoteague, Va., up to Eastport, Maine.

Irene is forecast to weaken and become a post-tropical cyclone (one that was a tropical cyclone but that no longer has tropical characteristics) tonight.

Hurricane Irene

East coast US residents are bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Irene as the storm gathers pace and strength after roaring through the Caribbean.

Irene regained force as a Category 2 storm, with top winds of 100 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said.

"Irene could become a major hurricane within the next day or so," it said.

Even as the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season pounded the Turks and Caicos Islands and the south-east Bahamas with winds, rain and a dangerous storm surge, people in the Carolinas on the south-eastern US coast were readying for its approach.

At 2am local time, Irene was about 400 miles south-east of Nassau and about 975 miles south of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Irene, the ninth named storm of the June-through-November season, looks set to be the first hurricane to hit the US since Hurricane Ike pounded the Texas coast in 2008. But forecasts showed it posing no threat to oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Irene had weakened on Tuesday to a Category 1 hurricane but could strengthen into a Category 3 storm with winds over 111mph.

The storm is forecast to approach the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday morning. After that, the already saturated New England region could be at risk from torrential rains, high winds and flooding.

Major eastern cities such as Washington and New York could be affected.

In North Carolina, Governor Bev Perdue urged residents to ensure they had three days worth of food, water and supplies.

Voluntary evacuations were to begin on Wednesday for parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks, a stretch of barrier islands and beaches that are popular summer holiday spots.

The first death from the storm was reported on Tuesday in Puerto Rico, where a woman was swept away.

Hurricane Irene Path

East coast US residents are bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Irene as the storm gathers pace and strength after roaring through the Caribbean.

Irene regained force as a Category 2 storm, with top winds of 100 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said.

"Irene could become a major hurricane within the next day or so," it said.

Even as the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season pounded the Turks and Caicos Islands and the south-east Bahamas with winds, rain and a dangerous storm surge, people in the Carolinas on the south-eastern US coast were readying for its approach.

At 2am local time, Irene was about 400 miles south-east of Nassau and about 975 miles south of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Irene, the ninth named storm of the June-through-November season, looks set to be the first hurricane to hit the US since Hurricane Ike pounded the Texas coast in 2008. But forecasts showed it posing no threat to oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Irene had weakened on Tuesday to a Category 1 hurricane but could strengthen into a Category 3 storm with winds over 111mph.

The storm is forecast to approach the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday morning. After that, the already saturated New England region could be at risk from torrential rains, high winds and flooding.

Major eastern cities such as Washington and New York could be affected.

In North Carolina, Governor Bev Perdue urged residents to ensure they had three days worth of food, water and supplies.

Voluntary evacuations were to begin on Wednesday for parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks, a stretch of barrier islands and beaches that are popular summer holiday spots.

The first death from the storm was reported on Tuesday in Puerto Rico, where a woman was swept away.

Hurricane Irene 2011

East coast US residents are bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Irene as the storm gathers pace and strength after roaring through the Caribbean.

Irene regained force as a Category 2 storm, with top winds of 100 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said.

"Irene could become a major hurricane within the next day or so," it said.

Even as the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season pounded the Turks and Caicos Islands and the south-east Bahamas with winds, rain and a dangerous storm surge, people in the Carolinas on the south-eastern US coast were readying for its approach.

At 2am local time, Irene was about 400 miles south-east of Nassau and about 975 miles south of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Irene, the ninth named storm of the June-through-November season, looks set to be the first hurricane to hit the US since Hurricane Ike pounded the Texas coast in 2008. But forecasts showed it posing no threat to oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Irene had weakened on Tuesday to a Category 1 hurricane but could strengthen into a Category 3 storm with winds over 111mph.

The storm is forecast to approach the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday morning. After that, the already saturated New England region could be at risk from torrential rains, high winds and flooding.

Major eastern cities such as Washington and New York could be affected.

In North Carolina, Governor Bev Perdue urged residents to ensure they had three days worth of food, water and supplies.

Voluntary evacuations were to begin on Wednesday for parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks, a stretch of barrier islands and beaches that are popular summer holiday spots.

The first death from the storm was reported on Tuesday in Puerto Rico, where a woman was swept away.