Good morning. At this hour it’s 75 degrees in New York City, with 90% humidity. While rain is starting to come down in southern New Jersey, forecasters say it won’t start to fall here until around 3 this afternoon. It’s another story down south, of course. Hurricane Irene made landfall in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina two hours ago. She’s now a Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph.
Here in the city, the transit system will begin shutting down at noon — it’s about an eight hour process. Meanwhile, residents of Evacuation Zone A (including sections of the waterfront on the Lower East Side) must leave their homes by 5 o’clock tonight. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for NYC.
We’ll be following LES-related storm developments throughout the day. An updated list of businesses closing and programs canceled is coming up shortly.
If you need to know if you’re in Zone A, have a look at this interactive map from WNYC.
