Forecast | Shelters/Evacuations | Closings
Outages: R.I., Mass. | Roads | Flights | Watch Live

Ted Nesi live-blogged the storm. Send photos/videos to ReportIt@wpri.com. Use ctrl+F to search.

12:16 p.m. | OK, we’re closing down the live blog and shifting to standard WPRI.com coverage.

11:57 a.m. | An 82 mph wind gust was recorded in Barrington at 9:36 a.m. Strong winds are forecast to continue through this evening.

“Please don’t rush outside,” Providence Mayor Angel Taveras tweets. “Very strong wind gusts expected as front begins to pull out. Limbs, trees still likely to fall in gusts.”

11:54 a.m. | The combination of downed power lines and flooding is making roads impassable in low-lying areas across the state. Here’s a photo of a street in Westerly taken by WPRI 12 photographer Scott DelSole:

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect across Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. A flood warning is in effect until 4:45 p.m. for urban areas and small streams in Providence County. A flood watch is in effect through late tonight elsewhere in the area.

11:34 a.m. | National Grid isn’t the only utility company struggling because of Irene.

Other organizations that use telephone poles – including municipal fire alarms and telecommunications companies like Verizon and Cox – can’t touch damaged ones until the electric wires are repaired, Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro told me.

“None of us can touch our wires until the power [company] is done,” Santoro said. Some Verizon customers have been impacted by the storm though specific numbers aren’t available yet, he said.

Full Channel, the independent East Bay cable company, says it’s “aware of isolated instances of downed wires throughout the communities we serve,” but conditions are too dangerous for its crews to make repairs right now.

“Despite widespread power outages, our satellite earth station, voice and data networks remain online and operational at the core network level, running on emergency backup power,” Full Channel VP Levi Maaia said in an e-mail.

A spokeswoman for Cox was not immediately available. See the 10:49 a.m. update for details on why it may be quite awhile before Grid can restore power. More than a third of Grid’s customers in Rhode Island – 172,805 in total - are without power right now.

11:25 a.m. | Irene is no fan of Chinese food, judging by this photo from Westerly sent by viewer Jean Steadman:

11:21 a.m. | Warwick has banned all traffic through the city “until further notice” except for emergency vehicles. Here’s more from Mayor Scott Avedisian:

High winds are toppling trees and utlitiy wires, causing safety concerns throughout the city.

In addition, Avedisian said, public safety personnel and Department of Public Works crews have been hampered in their work all morning due to the number of people going to the shoreline to watch the effects of tropical storm Irene. Many of these people are abandoning their vehicles, further complicating travel for essential public safety and municipal personnel. There are now also roadblocks in place to prevent non-emergency vehicular access to the Oakland Beach seawall and Conimicut beach.

11:07 a.m. | The National Weather Service has dropped its local Hurricane Warning for Irene to a Tropical Storm Warning, which makes sense since the storm weakened to a tropical storm around 9:30.

11:04 a.m. | The Projo says National Grid has 480,281 customers in Rhode Island – which means fully one-third of the state is without power based on the utility’s current estimate of 157,927 outages. See my 10:49 update for why it will likely be hours before they get electricity back.

10:59 a.m. | Looking for something to read that’s not about Hurricane Irene? Here are a few recent posts from Nesi’s Notes, the blog that is my day job on WPRI.com:

• Pawtucket celebrates its birthday at McCoy, a former mayor’s ‘folly’
• A riddle: Where are Rhode Island’s missing workers going?
• One vision of what a Providence subway map would look like
• Can Rhode Island officials fix the pension problem by Halloween?
• Why Central Falls owes its retirees $80 million in benefits

10:49 a.m. | It may be a long time before the lights are back on for many of the 155,558 National Grid customers in Rhode Islanders who’ve lost power so far, spokesman David Graves is warning.

The utility has hundreds of crew members ready to restore electricity, but they can’t go up in their bucket trucks until the wind is below 40 mph, Graves told WPRI 12. Sustained winds of up to 40 mph are predicted through this evening.

“We have to wait for the winds to subside before we can go after restoration efforts,” Graves said. In the meantime, he asked residents to “just be patient” and to avoid opening their refrigerators and freezers as much as possible to keep the cold air in. Call 1-800-322-3223 to report an outage.

Among the places that have lost power is the Warren police station, “leaving the police to reply only on their radio and personal cell phones,” the Projo reports. The 9-1-1 emergency line is not affected.

10:30 a.m. | RIDOT lists more than two dozen highways that are closed or restricted right now, including a number of spots along I-95. A map of the closures is here.

10:26 a.m. | The number of outages continues to rise quickly. National Grid says 134,914 customers in Rhode Island are without power – equal to more than 10% of the state’s population, the AP’s Michelle Smith pointed out. But if a customer is more than one person (because it’s a whole household) that’s a significantly wider impact. Again, call 1-800-322-3223 to report an outage and don’t go near any fallen power lines.

Roughly 85% of Barrington residents have lost power, Police Chief John LaCross told WPRI 12 a moment ago.

9:57 a.m. | The tornado watch for our area has been lifted. Also, I’ll be live on WPRI 12 during the 10 a.m. hour so blogging may be a little lighter. But I have a computer in there so maybe not.

9:52 a.m. | “We just lost power,” my friend Dan texts from Attleboro. “So I guess we’ll have to watch TV by candlelight like the pilgrims.” Back to the land!

9:50 a.m. | Tropical-storm strength winds will continue in Rhode Island for the rest of the day, our meteorologists report. The thread from damaging winds may continue until as late as 3 a.m. Here’s their newest detailed forecast.

Sustained winds of 30-40 mph will continue this morning, with gusts of 60-65 mph possible by late morning. Downpours will be off and on but could be very heavy at times; 2-4 inches should fall, with isolated higher amounts.

The strongest winds will arrive this afternoon, with sustained winds of 30-50 mph and gusts of 65-75 mph. The rain will taper off during the afternoon, though some bands of rain are possible. Irene is expected to pass closest to us early this afternoon, after making landfall in eastern Connecticut.

Storm surge and strong winds will continue this evening, with the high tide around 8 p.m. creating the potential for coastal flooding. Upper Narragansett Bay could see a storm surge of 3-6 feet, while Buzzards Bay could see 4-7 feet. Sustained winds of 30-40 mph and gusts of 50-60 mph are expected tonight.

On the bright side, it’s going to be sunny and dry with highs around 80 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

9:39 a.m. | Mayor Angel Taveras’ office is telling residents to avoid Valley Street and the intersection of Valley and Atwells Avenue. There is localized street flooding in flood-prone areas.

National Grid reports 89,796 customers without power in Rhode Island, not much changed in the last half-hour. That’s the first time this morning I’ve checked in with Grid and not seen the number up significantly, for what it’s worth.

WPRI.com has put together this photo gallery of viewers’ Irene photos shared with us via ReportIt@wpri.com. Check it out.

9:35 a.m. | There was little news at Rhode Island officials’ 9 a.m. briefing on the storm. The main message: Stay inside and stay safe. “I urge you all to use common sense,” Governor Chafee said. Residents with questions about shelters and other storm issues should call 2-1-1 and avoid 9-1-1, Chafee said.

Power outages and tree damage are already widespread across the state. Officials also said National Grid’s crews cannot use their bucket trucks to restore power when winds are above 40 mph, which means electricity may not be restored until the storm is over.

The highest storm surge in Rhode Island is expected to be during this evening’s high tide around 8 p.m., R.I. National Guard Adjutant Gen. Kevin McBride said, though the impact won’t be “as great as originally anticipated.” He also noted that the storm will pass by this afternoon, hours before high tide.

Rhode Island officials’ next formal storm briefing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at RIEMA headquarters.

9:29 a.m. | “This is by far the worst weather we’ve seen so far,” says poor WPRI 12 meteorologist Pete Mangione, who’s stuck reporting outside right now. Heavy rain and strong winds have spread across most of the area.

“I just walked the dog, and it’s pretty unbelievable outside,” a friend who lives on Providence’s East Side says in an email. “Lots of tree branches down. DPW trucks patrolling the streets. Parking ban not being enforced. Stay safe.”

The Patriots beat Irene back to New England earlier this morning, ESPN reports. Maybe they were too preoccupied with the storm and that’s why the Lions beat them 34-10 in last night’s exhibition game.

9:23 a.m. | Another reason officials want people to stay off the road? Traffic signals may go out, as they already have at the corner of One and Phillips in North Kingstown. My colleague Walt Buteau is there and sent this photo:

9:21 a.m. | Providence Mayor Taveras reports “heavy damage” in the city’s East Side, Mount Pleasant and Elmhurst neighborhoods. He and other officials are strongly urging residents to stay inside until Irene passes. “Please use common sense and be safe,” Governor Chafee said at a briefing this morning.

9:16 a.m. | More than 3 million people up and down the East Coast are without power because of Irene, including 80,709 in Rhode Island, according to the AP and National Grid. The independent power companies that service Block Island and the Pascoag Utility District also have outages, a state official said. Call National Grid at 1-800-322-3223 to report an outage.

9:09 a.m. | Irene has weakened to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 65 mph when it made landfall on New York City’s Coney Island around 9 a.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm continues to pick up speed, and is now moving north-northeast at 26 mph. It should reach New England this afternoon.

9:05 a.m. | RIPTA and RIde service has been suspended for the rest of the day Sunday. Service is expected to resume Monday.

Also, there are currently 240 closings and delays being reported through the Rhode Island Broadcasters Association’s

8:59 a.m. | Governor Chafee and state officials are set to deliver their first Hurricane Irene briefing of the day at the top of the hour from the R.I. Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Cranston. We’ll stream the briefing live here (and televise it on WRPI 12) so you can watch.

8:46 a.m. | (AP) – Hurricane Irene is expected to make landfall in New York City at 9:30 a.m.

Irene has already led to the deaths of nine people in five states as of Sunday morning, according to the AP. The total had been eight. Conn. Gov. Dan Malloy says one person was killed in Prospect, Conn., by a fire apparently caused by wires knocked down by the storm.

8:41 a.m. | This morning’s high tide around 8 a.m. reached 8.4 feet in Providence, which was higher than expected, Larry Davis of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the AP. He also reported a tide surge of about 3 feet.

8:34 a.m. | The number of power outages is climbing fast. National Grid says 40,324 customers are without electricity in Rhode Island, particularly in Providence and Kent counties, and 13,767 are out in Massachusetts. Call National Grid at 1-800-322-3223 to report an outage.

8:31 a.m. | In Providence, the Department of Public Works has begun closing the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier’s vehicular gate on South Water Street, which is closest to the water, and is monitoring whether to close the other two; all three of the barrier’s river gates were closed as of 5:50, Mayor Taveras says.

“This is the beginning of the storm,” Taveras told WPRI 12′s Kathryn Sotnik. “The brunt of the storm will be later this morning and early this afternoon. So we’re monitoring everything very closely.” The mayor asked residents to stay at home for the duration of the hurricane and to avoid fallen power lines.

Kathryn reports that debris is starting to fly in the area near the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier where she is stationed. She also saw a man walking on top of the barrier, which she does not recommend.

8:26 a.m. | All flights in and out of T.F. Green Airport are canceled, according to its website. But T.F. Green itself is open and fully staffed, according to Providence Mayor Angel Taveras. Check WPRI.com’s flight tracker for specific information.

8:24 a.m. | (AP) – Hurricane Irene is now moving twice as fast as it was yesterday.

8:22 a.m. | Warwick is sending police and fire personnel to close down portions of Shawmut Avenue out to Conimicut Point “because the road is rapidly becoming impassable,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said a few minutes ago. Oakland Beach is also reaching that point, he said.

“The biggest issue we have at the moment is we already have cars that have ended up being abandoned in the middle of the roads down in Conimicut, which is making it much more difficult for us to get our crews in there,” Avedisian told WPRI 12 in an on-air interview by phone. Residents were asked to evacuate Saturday.

Warwick’s 39-mile coastline is beginning to see water come in from the ocean, unlikely during last year’s historic floods when water came up from the river. “It’s a different experience for us,” Avedisian said.

7:54 a.m. | In Connecticut, drivers “will only be ordered off I-95 if it’s a particularly dangerous area,” a state police spokesman told the Connecticut Post. There had been conflicting reports about whether I-95 was being closed in the Nutmeg State. (See 7:21 update.)

Reports are coming in from all over about strengthening winds and more flooding. NECN’s Matt Noyes reports a gust of 57 mph in Portsmouth. Trees are down in Lincoln, Barrington and Cranston, where this one took down a power line on Meshantcut Valley Parkway, as you can see in this photo sent by a viewer:

7:51 a.m. | Newport Harbor “is coming up and over the causeway leading to Goat Island,” WPRO’s Bob Plain reports from the City by the Sea. The fire department is working to clear a tree that fell at Newport Hospital, and the Point neighborhood is flooding, he says.

7:48 a.m. | Hurricane Irene remains on the same track that’s been forecasted for the last 24 to 36 hours and will pass the area this afternoon, WPRI 12 meteorologist Michelle Muscatello reports. The storm is barely a hurricane now, with 75 mph wind, and is moving rapidly up the New Jersey coast toward New York City.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts are located on the eastern side of the hurricane, which means strong winds and storm surge will be a bigger issue than rain as Irene moves past. That could cause significant beach erosion and coastal flooding.

Hurricane-force winds aren’t expected here, though there could be a gust or two, but we will see tropical storm-force winds of 39-74 mph. Gusts of 45 mph have been reported in the last hour in Providence and Westerly.

Most of the area should get 2-5 inches of rain, with 4-8 inches in a few places. Rhode Island will likely get all the rain it will receive from the storm by 1 or 2 p.m. Heavy bands of rain are now moving through the area. And humidity is now at 94% in Providence.

Here’s how Michelle expects the weather to play out today:

• Bands of heavy rain will come through the area this morning, with winds of 30-40 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph. A storm surge of 2-4 feet is expected at high tide, around 8 a.m.

• The rain will get lighter here this afternoon but winds will pick up to 35-55 mph, with gusts of 60-70 mph, as the storm’s center passes through Connecticut around 2 p.m.

• There won’t be much rain this evening, but strong winds will continue at 30-40 mph with gusts of 50-60 mph. The evening high tide around 8 p.m. could cause storm surges of 3-6 feet in Narragansett Bay and 4-7 feet in Buzzards Bay.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for southeast Providence County, eastern Kent County, Bristol (R.I.), Washington and Newport counties, Block Island, and southern Bristol County, Mass. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for northwest Providence, western Kent and northern Bristol (Mass.) counties. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 11 a.m. for Washington, Bristol (R.I.) and Newport counties. A Flood Watch is in effect, as well.

7:47 a.m. | A spokesman for the R.I. Emergency Management Agency tells the AP: “We’re not even at the leading edge yet.” He says 300 National Guardsmen are on standby, with 250 pre-positioned in Warwick and North Smithfield.

7:21 a.m. | There are conflicting reports coming out of Connecticut about a potentially major road closure.

News 12 Connecticut first reported that I-95, the Merritt Parkway and Wilbur Cross Parkway are all closed in Connecticut. A reporter at WFSB in Hartford says the Merritt Parkway is closed, I-95 “is only open to emergency vehicles” and there is “a tractor trailer ban on all roads throughout the state.”

News 12 Connecticut then reported that Conn. Gov. Dan Malloy said I-95 only has a tractor-trailer ban, “but state police forced one of our cars off [I-95] saying it is closed.”

WPRI 12 is working to confirm what’s going on in the Nutmeg State.

7:11 a.m. | Along with storm surge, strong winds are expected to be Irene’s biggest impact on Rhode Island.

In Lincoln, viewer Arthur Carvalho reports a large tree crashed onto Smithfield Avenue (Route 126) and that police officers are now detouring motorists onto side streets there. Here’s a photo Carvalho sent WPRI.com:

7:03 a.m. | The number of power outages locally is rising fast, according to National Grid. The utility says 9,468 customers in Rhode Island were without power – mostly in North Providence, Warwick and East Greenwich – as well as 4,373 in Massachusetts as of 6:53. (Unlike in Rhode Island, other utilities have customers in the Bay State.)

Ellen Leonardo, who lives on Route 3 along the West Greenwich/Coventry border, told me a few minutes ago she’s experiencing power surges but hasn’t lost electricity. “I’m actually in a mandatory evacuation area, but I refuse to move,” she said. “I have animals. Everybody’s allergic to the cat. If it gets bad, I’ll pack up and move.”

“The wind is very much picking up,” Leonardo added. “It’s raining – not hard though. The rain isn’t that bad. It’s the wind.”

6:50 a.m. | We count 12 Rhode Island communities (out of 39) that issued mandatory evacuation orders because of Irene: Bristol, Charlestown, Coventry, Jamestown, Middletown, Narragansett, Newport, North Kingstown, Portsmouth, South Kingstown, Tiverton and Westerly.

But in Portsmouth, at least, it’s an open question how seriously residents are taking the order to clear out. “A drive through the streets around Flo’s found many houses with lights on and TVs running (and at least one party loud enough to be heard a block away),” local blogger John McDaid wrote Saturday night. “Down at the seawall, a group of young men in bathing suits were taking a late night dip.”

6:46 a.m. | Here’s a video my colleague Kathryn Sotnik shot of crews closing down the Fox Providence Hurricane Barrier this morning:

6:24 a.m. | “Barely a hurricane Sunday but massive and packed with rain, Irene flooded towns, killed at least eight people and knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses as it plodded up the East Coast, saving the strongest winds it had left for New York,” the AP reports.

Here are some key updates from other parts of the Eastern Seaboard:

• The New York City transit system is shut down because of weather for the first time in history.
• Irene’s only hurricane-force winds (74 mph or more) cover a relatively small area east of the center.
• Tornadoes reported in Maryland and Delaware, with warnings issued elsewhere. (There is a tornado watch in southern Rhode Island.)
• “Irene caused flooding from North Carolina to Delaware, both from the seven-foot waves it pushed into the coast and from heavy rain. Eastern North Carolina got 10 to 14 inches of rain…. Virginia’s Hampton Roads area was drenched with at least nine inches, with 16 reported in some spots.”
• Airlines canceled more than 9,000 flights from North Carolina to Boston, including 3,900 on Saturday.

6:14 a.m. | Hurricane Irene made landfall along the New Jersey coast and will pass the area this afternoon, WPRI 12 meteorologist Michelle Muscatello reports. “The good news is, this storm has weakened slightly overnight,” she said.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts are located on the eastern side of the hurricane, which means strong winds and storm surge will be a bigger issue than rain as Irene moves past. That could cause significant beach erosion and coastal flooding. Hurricane-force winds aren’t expected here, though there could be a gust or two, but we will see tropical storm-force winds of 39-74 mph. Most of the area should get 2-4 inches of rain, with 4-8 inches in a few places.

The biggest gusts of wind reported so far are 43 mph in Westerly and 40 mph on Block Island.

Here’s how Michelle expects the weather to play out today:

• Bands of heavy rain will come through the area this morning, with winds of 30-40 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph. A storm surge of 2-4 feet is expected at high tide, around 8 a.m.

• The rain will get lighter here this afternoon but winds will pick up to 35-55 mph, with gusts of 60-70 mph, as the storm’s center passes through Connecticut around 2 p.m.

• There won’t be much rain this evening, but strong winds will continue at 30-40 mph with gusts of 50-60 mph. The evening high tide around 8 p.m. could cause storm surges of 3-6 feet in Narragansett Bay and 4-7 feet in Buzzards Bay.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for southeast Providence County, eastern Kent County, Bristol (R.I.), Washington and Newport counties, Block Island, and southern Bristol County, Mass. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for northwest Providence, western Kent and northern Bristol (Mass.) counties. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 11 a.m. for Washington, Bristol (R.I.) and Newport counties. A Flood Watch is in effect, as well.

6 a.m. | The Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in Providence “has been closed,” Mayor Angel Taveras tweets. “Closing street gate now.” My colleague Kat Sotnik is there.

5:59 a.m. | “Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since 2008, and came almost six years to the day after Katrina ravaged New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005,” the AP reports. “Experts said that probably no other hurricane in American history had threatened as many people.”

5:57 a.m. | Hurricane Irene is going to shut down a lot of the regional transportation system today.

T.F. Green Airport says no flights will depart but some may arrive; check WPRI.com’s flight tracker for specifics. Amtrak has canceled all trains in the Northeast. The MBTA has suspended all service, including commuter rail trips to Rhode Island. The ferries to Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard will not be running. RIDOT will list traffic accidents at this page.

5:47 a.m. | MIAMI (AP) – Hurricane Irene makes landfall along New Jersey coast near Little Egg Inlet with 75-mph winds.

5:45 a.m. | Crews are working right now to put down the other two gates of the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in Providence, my colleague Kathryn Sotnik reports from the scene. The first gate was put down yesterday. They’re locking down a device in the middle of the road that allows the gate to come down.

Kat will have an update on air in a few minutes – here’s a photo:

5:37 a.m. | MIAMI (AP) — Irene is just barely a hurricane this morning with top winds of 75 mph as it crawls alongside the New Jersey coast approaching New York City. Forecasters expect little change in strength before an expected landfall later Sunday. At least eight deaths are blamed on the storm.

5:29 a.m. | Governor Chafee and other state officials will hold their first storm briefing of the day at 9 a.m. at the R.I. Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters in Cranston. We’ll carry it live on air and online, and I’ll post a recap of what they say here.

5:23 a.m. | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has shut one of the Providence Hurricane Barrier’s three gates in advance of Irene. High tie is due around 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. today. The barrier, completed in 1966, is built to hold back a storm surge of up to 20.5 feet. Here’s how it looked there this morning:

5:13 a.m. | National Grid is reporting scattered power outages. The utility says 6,715 customers are without power in Rhode Island, mostly in Newport County, and 633 don’t have power in Massachusetts.

5:08 a.m. | Let’s start with the storm’s location and the forecast.

Hurricane Irene is currently a Category 1 storm located about 15 miles south-southeast of Atlantic City and moving north-northeast at about 18 mph as it picks up speed, according to the National Hurricane Center. It has maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph.

Irene will move near or over the New Jersey/Long Island coast this morning and move inland over Southern New England by this afternoon. The hurricane’s strength is not expected to change significantly until after it makes landfall in New England, when it should weaken to a tropical storm.

Winds will pick up to 25-40 mph this morning, with some gusts up to 60 mph, WPRI 12 meteorologist Pete Mangione said. A storm surge of 2-4 feet is expected during the 8 a.m. high tide.

The worst of the storm is expected this afternoon, with heavy rain and winds 35-50 mph and coastal gusts of 50-75 mph. The main concern is storm surge of 3-6 feet in Narragansett Bay, which should cause some flooding. The rain will taper off this afternoon but strong winds will continue into the evening before the storm moves out.

5:03 a.m. | A Hurricane Warning is in effect for southeast Providence County, eastern Kent County, Bristol County (R.I.), Washington County, Newport County, Block Island, and southern Bristol County, Mass. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for northwest Providence County, western Kent County and northern Bristol County, Mass. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 11 a.m. for Washington, Bristol (R.I.) and Newport counties. A Flood Watch is in effect, as well.

5:01 a.m. | Live coverage of the hurricane has kicked off on WPRI 12. You can watch it live online here.

5 a.m. | Good morning! I’m here in the WPRI 12 newsroom, where we’re tracking all the latest news about the hurricane. I’ll be here leading our online coverage for the duration, with the latest updates from the National Weather Service, state and local officials, our reporters out in the storm, and photos sent in by our viewers.

It was extremely humid but not too windy or rainy on my drive in this morning. Rhode Island officials have asked residents to stay off the roads today unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Tags: hurricane irene, live blog, Weather