Good morning. Here’s our first look at the Lower East Side today as Hurricane Irene dumps on New York. Winds are around 30 mph at this hour, with gusts up to 38 mph. In the past day approximately 5 inches of rain have fallen in the city. The hurricane made landfall in Little Egg Inlet (just north of Atlantic City), New Jersey at 5:35 a.m., with 75 mph winds.
During the next two hours, we’ll be feeling the brunt of the storm in New York City. The biggest concern at this point is flooding. High tide is at 8 a.m. Forecasters think conditions here will be dangerous at least through midday, when we’ll likely start to see some clearing. Storm surge of 4-8 feet anticipated in New York Harbor.
We’ll be covering the story through the morning. If you’ve got photos or video from your vantage point, send them along. You can email us at: tips@thelodownny.com. Stay safe!
