Irene hit New York and the northeast this morning. As of this morning, more than 250,000 Long Island residents are without electricity, and 3 million in the entire storm path. Manhattan and Brooklyn report serious flooding, and the north tube of the Holland Tunnel connecting Manhattan and Jersey City has been closed:

River waters began began flooding into Manhattan’s streets as Irene lashed New York City with wind gusts and torrential rains Sunday morning.

Even as Irene weakened to a tropical storm, authorities warned that its impact would not wane.

Authorities said the storm had knocked out power to more than 3 million people and was responsible for at least 10 deaths as it pummeled some of the biggest cities in the Northeast.

In lower Manhattan, the Hudson River overflowed, sending massive amounts of water spilling over jogging paths and pouring into at least one nearby apartment building. Water also lapped over the banks of New York City’s East River.

Irene has now decreased to a tropical storm with winds at at still-dangerous 65 MPH, but it hit New York as still a Category 1 hurricane. So far, officials blame Irene for ten deaths and plenty of damage, which will take weeks to calculate. North Carolina and Virginia report tornadoes spawning from the storm system, although those have yet to be fully confirmed by the Weather Service.

As the video below shows, the decrease in intensity from a hurricane to a tropical storm does not mean that the New York/New Jersey area is safe. CNN shows some dramatic video of the surf overcoming 12-15-foot berms and pushing a two-story lifeguard headquarters on Long Island up against the boardwalk. It will take a few days for the tide to return to normal, and plenty could happen still. Manhattan and the rest of New York will probably have to deal with flooding for several days.

Consider this an open thread, and if any significant developments occur, I’ll add them as an update.