Tracking Irene, Day 2: Up-to-the-Minute Reports as Storm Hits East Coast

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Denise Robinson clears out her destroyed beach home in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach after Hurricane Irene hit Virginia Beach, Va., Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (Steve Helber / AP)

Irene continues her path up the eastern seaboard, bringing driving rain and gale-force winds to some of the nation’s biggest metropolitan areas. Click to see Sunday’s updates on Irene’s path and destruction.

And with that, NewsFeed will be retiring for the night. Follow us on Twitter at @TIME for the latest Irene updates.

7:58 p.m. EDT: The center of Tropical Storm Irene is currently hovering above the U.S./Canadian border, according to the National Hurricane Center.

7:34 p.m. EDT: Details on the 20 deaths across 8 states caused by Irene, from the AP.

7:25 p.m. EDT: A telling tweet about Irene from CNN producer Mike Milhaven.

6:47 p.m. EDT: Newark Airport and JFK Airport will open at 6 a.m. Monday morning, and LaGuardia will reopen for departures and arrivals at 7 a.m., according to CNN.

6:36 p.m. EDT: Irene’s wind and rain start to batter Quebec after causing massive flooding throughout Vermont. As of 5 p.m., the National Hurricane Center reports Irene’s sustained winds are blowing at 50 mph as she travels north-northeast at 26 mph.

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6:12 p.m. EDT: Latest totals: at least 15 people are dead and 4.5 million people are currently without power as a result of Irene, according to the Associated Press.

5:33 p.m. EDT: New York City begins running limited bus service as of 4:30 p.m. Check mta.info to see which routes are running.

5:11 p.m. EDT: CNN meteorologist Chad Myers says Irene “won’t be remembered for the wind, but instead as a floodmaker, which will continue for some time.”

5:03 p.m. EDT: President Obama has declared states of emergency in nine states, DC and Puerto Rico. “We are particularly concerned about flooding,” he says. “The effects of the storm will last for some time.”

5:00 p.m. EDT: President Obama speaks from the White House Rose Garden, updating Americans on the status of Irene and explaining the resources allocated by the federal government to assist in cleanup. Obama says “Irene is still a dangerous storm,” and DHS and FEMA are “doing everything in their power” to help those affected. WATCH IT LIVE.

4:45 p.m. EDT: See this harrowing video of storm surge floodwater washing away a lifeguard booth in Long Beach, N.Y.

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4:27 p.m. EDT: The latest map from the National Hurricane Center shows Tropical Storm Irene’s path through New England and Canada Sunday night.

3:37 p.m. EDT: President Obama will speak about the hurricane/tropical storm at 5 p.m. Eastern this evening.

2:55 p.m. EDT: 242,000 people in Rhode Island stand without power as Irene unleashes strong winds and rain on the state. The New York Times reports  more than 1.95 million in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are without electricity.

2:37 p.m. EDT: CNN reports no flooding or water damage to New York City’s 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero.

2:24 p.m. EDT: New York governor Andrew Cuomo warns that upstate parts of New York in the Catskill Mountains may not yet be clear of a flooding threat.

2:04 p.m. EDT: Irene’s swirling wind speeds slow to 60 mph as the storm moves over southern New England, according to the National Hurricane Center.

1:27 p.m. EDT: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says 81 shelters served more than 9,000 evacuees last night as Irene stormed in. Despite erosion at the Rockaways and on Staten Island, the evacuation order will be lifted at 3 p.m. and all residents will be transported back to their homes.

1:00 p.m. EDT: Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter warns his city of possible record flooding that could be worse than Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The Schuylkill River is expected to crest at 2 p.m.

12:43 p.m. EDT: As New England prepares for Irene’s havoc, North Carolina has started cleaning up after the hurricane that swept through yesterday. Emergency Management spokesman Ernie Seneca tells Fox News that N.C. has confirmed six deaths as they search through the debris. 225 roads remain closed across the state.

(PHOTOS: Irene’s Wide Swath of Destruction Up the East Coast)

12:26 p.m. EDT: All public transportation in Boston is shuttered for the remainder of the day as the city gears up for Irene to pass through. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says buses and subways will be out of service until 8 a.m. Monday morning.

12:21 p.m. EDT: 3.4 million people on the East Coast remain without power after Irene swept through. One N.J. power company says it may take 5-7 days to restore electricity to its 330,000 customers that were knocked out by the storm, Reuters reports.

12:01 p.m. EDT: New York governor Andrew Cuomo says the Holland Tunnel is reopened but the Tappan Zee Bridge is closed due to flooding.

11:34 a.m. EDT: In a press conference, Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano thanks all those involved with the evacuation process, saying that the precautionary steps taken in cities along the East Coast helped to reduce loss of life in the storm.

11:07 a.m. EDT: A woman was found submerged in her car at 9:30 a.m. this morning in rural Salem County, N.J. in the southwest part of the state, according to the New York Times‘ Jen Preston.

11:02 a.m. EDT: Newark, N.J. mayor Cory Booker, TIME’s favorite tweeting mayor, continues to warn people through Twitter to stay off the roads.

10:47 a.m. EDT: The Associated Press shows the early-morning flooding in lower Manhattan.

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10:20 a.m. EDT: Tropical Storm Irene is packing sustained winds of 65 mph with gusts of up to 75 mph. The National Hurricane Center notes that Irene’s hit on North Carolina weakened the storm. As of 8 a.m. Sunday, the NHC is also tracking Tropical Storm Jose swirling in the Atlantic by Bermuda.

9:47 a.m. EDT: According to CNN, both the Hudson and East Rivers have spilled their banks this morning, causing localized flooding in New York. Part of the Holland Tunnel has been closed due to flooding.

9:24 a.m. EDT: Con Edison, New York’s power utility company, says that as of 7 a.m. Sunday, 72,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County are without power. They expect that number to increase.

9:00 a.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that Irene has lost hurricane strength and made landfall on New York’s Coney Island.

8:00 a.m. EDT: Irene is now moving to the north-northeast. It has sped up and is maintaining hurricane strength with the storm’s eye only about 40 miles south-southwest of New York City. See a live view of the storm as she batters the Big Apple.

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6:30 a.m. EDT: Forecasters say Irene has made landfall on the New Jersey Coast. A hurricane warning remains in effect from coastal Virginia northward to Sagamore Beach, Mass.

4:15 a.m. EDT: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Brooklyn and Queens in New York City as Hurricane Irene heads for the city.

(Time-Lapse Imagery of Hurricane Irene from Thursday to Saturday)

3:30 a.m. EDT: The storm dumped a foot of rain on North Carolina and Virginia, leaving 2 million homes and businesses without power.  At least eight people have been killed.

2:00 a.m. EDT: Irene’s sustained winds were topping out at 80 mph. The storm is moving north-northeast at 17 mph, the National Hurricane Center says. Water levels have been rising rapidly with storm surge values of 3.2 feet at Ocean City, Md., 3.4 feet at Cape May, N.J., and 3.5 feet at New York Harbor.

12:00 a.m. EDT: See yesterday’s updates on Hurricane Irene.