Irene downgraded to post-tropical cyclone—US govt
MIAMI – Tropical Storm Irene weakened further late Sunday and was officially downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, US government forecasters said.
At 0300 GMT Monday, Irene packed sustained winds of 50 miles (85 kilometers) an hour, which means it can no longer qualify for tropical storm status, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
The downgrade came soon after Irene reached Canada following a trek across the northeastern United States where it downed power lines, caused flooding and forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes.
The storm first came ashore near Cape Lookout in North Carolina soon after sunrise on Saturday, then reentered the ocean along the coasts of Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey and hit land again near Atlantic City, New Jersey.
