Have a Good NEWS

CNN just cut off mid-flow Christie. He 's obviously too windy for them.

14:14 ET: And he doesn \ disappoint 't. Christie is not a category with this nonsense. This is a big storm for a big guy and he 's on it. Especially the beach.

The best way is to preserve life on the Jersey Shore to be no human beings on the Jersey Shore, in view of coming to what 's. The tracking of the storm is still very dangerous for our country. While there are some minor weeaking the storm to a Category One stream was the reduction in wind speeds of 10 mph or 15 is not to make much difference, what 's going to cause harm to people here.

2:07 ET:

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's news conference earlier (see 9.36am ET) was his suggestion that power would be cut pre-emptively to Lower Manhattan (from where I am blogging). Fortunately, Consolidated Edison, the power company, has said it has no such plans.

12:43 ET: We 've just released our latest news story on Irene. My colleague Karen McVeigh Reports:

More than 2 million people in low-lying and coastal areas were asked to evacuate, and millions more have been for days of gale force winds, rain, power outages and interruptions in the preparation in their wake.

The Ronald Reagan Washington national airport and Washington Dulles international airport are still open, but most flights are cancelled. These airports may close later. Philadelphia airport will clsoe at 6pm. Also closing today are JFK and LaGuardia in New York, Newark in New Jersey, plus Stewart and Teterboro.

My colleague

Irene is not expected to strengthen as it makes its way up the coast, Bill Read, the director of the national hurricane center, said. But the sheer size of the storm still means its carries heavy risks.

Lower Manhattan , The streets are very quiet. Many stores - even those not in the evacuation zone - are closed. Normally clogged streets are almost deserted, and the tunnels linking Manhattan with New Jersey and Brooklyn are running unusually free.

The few shops that remain open must clarify the essentials.

11:42 ET: Airlines have canceled a significant number of flights. United / Continental hit 2300 runs, Delta 1300, JetBlue has canceled 900 services. Furthermore, BA and Virgin Atlantic have begun canceling flights to and from New York and Newark over the weekend and into Monday.

There is another issue too. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in the New York area some time on Sunday morning and could coincide with high tide which should be around 8am, Vaccaro explained. Finally, due to the natural movements of the moon which controls the tides, tomorrow's high tide is expected to be an unusually high "spring tide". All of which will raise the level of the sea even higher and further worsen the impact of the expected storm surge.

has just released a new update, warning of storm surges of between 5ft and 9ft above ground level in North Carolina, with sustained 85mph winds and tornadoes.

Storm surge is the biggest threat to NYC, because Irene covers such a huge area, so lots of water drives it. In addition, it is consistent with very high water levels caused by this weekend because the new moon - known as astronomical high tide.

Stuart, you should know, has a 'A' at O-grade physics (it 's no direct U.S. counterpart, but were O-grades Scottish High School qualifications acquired at age 16). We 're pitching for someone with better academic credentials, but I' m going with this for the moment. Can someone explain to me? @ Matthew wells on Twitter or in the comments below.

9.59am ET:Important Pet News from the New York City Council: ". If you take your pet to a shelter, please bring a copy of your pet 's medical records and vaccinations, a leash and muzzled, porters and food"

That may not be as stupid as it may seem. There are an estimated 500,000 dogs in New York City, only 20% of them are licensed.

9:46 ET:

I've been asked who named Hurricane Irene. Seasoned storm-watches will raise their grizzled eyebrows and emit a knowing sigh, but for those wondering (like me), it's the World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva. Here's the full list of projected names at the National Hurricane Center.

8.41am ET:

The National Hurricane Service is reporting winds of 85mph in coastal North Carolina, with Irene tracking north-northeast at a sluggish 14 mph.

Here in New York, Mayor Bloomberg was slammed over his slow response to the huge snow dump last year. City Hall is located at the end of my street - they 've been there all night, coordinating the response to this.

Hurricane Irene is political, as well as meteorological.

7:34 ET: Hurricane Irene makes landfall now at Cape Lookout, North Carolina. It is the first hurricane hit the U.S. mainland since 2008.

Atlantic Beach

New York is braced for the worst as Irene threatens the city with its first hurricane in decades. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the evacuation of low-lying areas and, for the first time ever, has shut the subway and bus systems from noon today. The storm is expected to make landfall on Long Island tomorrow.

More than 7,000 flights were canceled.