A buoy that sits at the end of the Ocean City, Md. jetty is toppled over due to heavy surf caused by the arrival of Hurricane Irene on August 27, 2011. (Getty Images)
(CBS News) 
8:43 a.m. ET
As Irene quickly approaches the New York City area, we're providing a webcast of WCBS' live coverage to keep track of the storm's impact.
8:11 a.m. ET
The National Hurricane Center reported that Irene has gained speed on its way to New York. The storm's eye is now about 40 miles south-southwest of the city traveling at 25 mph, up from 18 mph earlier in the morning. At that rate, it will pass over the New York area mid-morning and hit New England Sunday afternoon.
8:01 a.m. ET
Irene may be barely a hurricane, but it's still got a pretty big headache-causing potential. The Associated Press succinctly outlines what's at stake in New York City:
A possible storm surge on the fringes of lower Manhattan could send seawater streaming into the maze of underground vaults that hold the city's cables and pipes, knocking out power to thousands and crippling the nation's financial capital, forecasters said.
The storm has already caused a 3.5 foot storm surge in New York harbor and that could more than double in the next couple of hours.
6:19 a.m. ET
One of Irene's biggest impacts has been to the East Coast power grid. Early Sunday, there were 2,790,350 people without electricity, according to estimates from power companies along the coast. That number is expected to rise as the storm pushes on toward New York City and New England. Even hours before the storm is expected to make landfall in New York's Long Island, more than 400,000 homes were without power in the city's surrounding areas, including New Jersey.
5:35 a.m. ET
Irene has made landfall along the New Jersey coast at Little Egg inlet, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
5:12 a.m. ET
National Hurricane Center says Irene has weakened to barely a hurricane, with 75 mph winds. However, it's still expected to cause trouble for New York City, which has already experienced a storm surge and water levels are expected to rise as much as 8 feet. A higher-than-normal high tide could complicate matters further.
The storm is expected to make landfall on Long Island at around midday.
3:38 a.m. ETConstellation Energy Nuclear Group said one of its reactors at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland went off-line automatically late Saturday night after a large piece of aluminum siding dislodged from a building and came into contact with the facility's main transformer. An unusual event has been declared. That's the lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A spokesman for the company said that Constellation Energy's second reactor was safe and operating at 100 percent power.3:07 a.m. ETAP is reporting that one of two nuclear reactors operated by Constellation Energy Nuclear Group at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland went off-line automatically because of winds from Hurricane Irene. The company says that the facility is safe and stable.2:14 a.m. ETThree bridges to New York City's flood-prone Rockaways are closed because of rising winds as Hurricane Irene advances toward the city. The Broad Channel bridge, the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge were closing. It's unclear when they will reopen. Authorities also have closed the lower level of the George Washington Bridge and one of the bridge's approaches in New Jersey. The bridge's upper deck is still open.2:04 a.m. ETThe National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Irene's sustained winds were topping out at 80 mph while the storm was moving north-northeast at a 17 mph clip. It was centered about 195 miles south-southwest of New York City. Although forecasters say Irene will be moving over cooler waters, it is still expected to stay a hurricane until landfall again near Long Island, N.Y., about midday Sunday.1:14 a.m. ETThe St Mary's Lake Dam near Callaway, Md. could spill over but is not in danger of breaching, according to officials in St. Mary's County. Residents living near the 250-acre lake are being urged to move their families and pets upstairs or to a high place with a means of escape.People play in the rain in Times Square in New York City on the eve of Hurricane Irene's arrival on Saturday, August 27, 2011.
(Credit: Charles Lamont/CBS News)12:31 a.m. ET
Hurricane Irene has caused chest-deep floodwaters in Norfolk, Va. Check out this video of WTKR's Kurt Williams navigating through chest-deep floodwater to report on the powerful storm surge and heavy rainfall.12:21 a.m. ETThe National Weather Service predicts up to to 8 inches rain are expected in New York City through Sunday afternoon.12:15 a.m. ETNew York's Port Authority has closed the Palisades Interstate Parkway entrance to the George Washington Bridge because of the storm.
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