Hurricane Irene made landfall in New Jersey early Sunday and hit New York City as a tropical storm. The 700-mile-wide storm pelted the tri-state area with heavy rains, flash floods and strong winds.
Here is a hurricane timeline so you can plan accordingly. Check back for continual updates.
SATURDAY
12 p.m.: Transit interruptions begin. MTA won't reopen system until at least Monday, after pumps remove water from flooded stations. PATH service is also suspended at noon and most NJ transit shut down by 6 p.m.
SUNDAY OVERNIGHT
1 a.m.: The eye of Irene passes by Maryland's coast, with some winds reaching 56 mph.
Midnight until 3 a.m.: Irene's outskirts reach New York City, New Jersey and Long Island. Rain comes and goes, winds gradually get stronger. Flash flooding in New Jersey.
2:40 a.m.: 58 mph winds measured at JFK airport, gusts at 24 mph in Central Park. Rain continues to pour.
Local
4 a.m.: Irene's center hits just southwest of Atlantic City, N.J.
4:15 a.m.: Tornado warning for Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau Country expires
SUNDAY MORNING - IRENE ARRIVES
5:35 a.m.: Irene makes landfall along the coast of New Jersey in Little Egg Inlet, moving at 18 mph. Winds up to 75 mph.
5 a.m. to 10 a.m: Conditions are at their strongest as Irene travels up New Jersey towards New York City. Flash flood warnings in parts of New Jersey, flood warnings in New York City until noon. Torrential downpour in Westchester and the Hudson Valley.
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m: Coastal flooding and rising tides all around the tri-state area. At around 8 a.m., storm surges (walls of water caused by wind) reached several feet in Lower Manhattan (not as bad as previously expected) and on the Long Island Sound. Water on the Jersey coast surged three to six feet.
7:55 a.m.: Central Park has collected nearly five inches of rain. Over seven inches have poured in Caldwell, New Jersey. And it's still continuing to pour.
8 a.m.: The eye of the storm is less than 30 miles away from NYC. It is still a Category 1 storm with the strength of 75 mph, but scattered and less concentrated.
8:30 a.m.: Torrential downpour and strong winds are passing through New York City in bursts, while weather is relatively calm in between. Hurricane Irene continues to move rapidly north northeast cutting just to the east of the city across the south shore of Queens and Nassau County.
9 a.m.: Irene arrives in Coney Island as a tropical storm with winds of 65 mph.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The worst part of the storm moves north and conditions will calm, forecasters say. There may even be breaks of sunshine. Storms will diminish from south to north from morning to afternoon.
Until 11 a.m.: Tornado watch for New York City, Long Island, and parts of New Jersey.
SUNDAY NIGHT
3 p.m. to midnight.: Winds and rains will gradually decrease in New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey, forecasters say.
Center of the storm reaches New England.
MONDAY
Sunny and clear. River flooding continues and will likely be a major issue in the upcoming week. Clean-up begins.
You can keep an eye on the forecast through our storm tracker, and stay with NBC New York on Twitter @NBCNewYork and Facebook/NBCNewYork. Get breaking news alerts right to your phone by texting NYBreaking to 639710.
