Lesser Antilles Following its path through the northeastern Caribbean, Irene spread tropical storm conditions across all of the
Leeward Islands, causing overall little damage but flooded some low-lying areas. To the south, strong thunderstorms and showers spread over
Martinique, though most of the activity occurred prior to development into a tropical cyclone. In spite of the center tracking just north of
Guadeloupe's island
Grande-Terre, the strongest effects were brought on by Irene's outer
rainbands. Tropical-storm-force winds generated brief rough seas, with peak
wave heights of no more than . Accompanying intermittent torrents swept through much of the territory, but overall rainfall was moderate; precipitation totals of between fell in
Basse-Terre during the event. Due to the storm conditions,
LIAT was forced to suspend all of its flights in
Antigua for early August 22. Passing near the
British Virgin Islands while strengthening, Irene brought gusty winds and heavy precipitation to the territory; however, resultant property damage was minimal. A lightning strike over
Necker Island sparked a large fire at one of business magnate
Richard Branson's resort homes, but all of its guest occupants—including British actress
Kate Winslet—were able to exit the area. Irene crossed
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands as a strong tropical storm on August 21, though relatively calm winds associated with the passage of its center were recorded over the island. To the north in
Saint Thomas, storm conditions became progressively worse; sustained gale-force winds swept across the territory, with a gust of up to recorded at 21:20 UTC. Upon impact, the winds and inclement weather caused scattered power outages across all islands. Wide-scale assessments confirmed light damage to public schools, mostly confined to debris and leaks.
Greater Antilles Puerto Rico Across Puerto Rico, heavy rains caused extensive damage to roads while hurricane-force winds toppled many trees and utility poles, which led more than 1 million residences without power. President
Barack Obama declared a state of emergency. About 121,000 customers were cut off from potable water service at the height of the storm. Across the territory at least 1,044 people had to take shelter, and 1,446 people in total were evacuated. At higher elevations, winds estimated by
radar neared . The highest amounts of precipitation fell across eastern parts of the territory; in
Gurabo, a peak total of was recorded. Several rivers burst their banks as a consequence of the rains, causing additional flooding. Of the plantations, the most affected were situated in
Yabucoa and
Maunabo, where severe flooding washed out copious amounts of banana crop. The rains continued to fall for hours into the wake of the storm, prompting the issuance of flood watches. In total, Irene affected over 1,500 people in Puerto Rico, and one driver was killed after their vehicle was caught in swollen currents. Offshore near
Culebra Island, a sailboat was reported to have sunk due to rough seas prior to landfall in mainland Puerto Rico. Gale-force winds felled fences and shattered windows, with a flying object piercing through one residence. A total of 46 locals sought refuge to ride out the storm, but one family required post-storm shelter after the roof to their home was lost. On the island of
Vieques, similar sustained winds of were recorded, as well as some gusts of up to . The island was completely without power.
Hispaniola Skirting barely north past
Hispaniola, the large storm produced gales and prolonged precipitation in the
Dominican Republic, displacing over 37,700 people and leaving at least 88 communities isolated in its wake. Accompanying
storm surge affected roughly 200 homes and prompted evacuations along the northern coastlines. The strongest winds also occurred in northern
Cibao, where they felled multiple trees and toppled utility poles. Swollen rivers, creeks, and streams caused widespread residential flooding and damage to roads; saturated soil in the region triggered mudslides, causing additional disruptions. Despite its distance, Irene produced extreme rainfall in southern parts of the country that led to many secondary effects. Resultant floods combined with two overflown rivers swept through much of
San Cristóbal, causing one bridge to collapse under the rushing waters. The flooding produced at least two drown victims in that area, both later confirmed dead. Elsewhere, another fatality occurred in
Cambita Garabitos, and six others were listed as missing. Heavy rains also fell across
La Altagracia Province, where one person in
Higüey went missing and hundreds were evacuated. Most of the damage in the region occurred due to flooded rivers, with some agricultural losses reported. The excess surface waters overwhelmed and damaged some 170 inlets. In all, Irene affected at least 2,292 households according to preliminary reports, with 16 houses rendered beyond repair. In northeastern
Haiti, the prolonged precipitation overflowed rivers and produced surface floods and damaging landslides across multiple road sections. About 500 residents in risk zones evacuated while some sought shelter, but only one of more than 160 evacuation sites required usage. Rough surge produced high
coastal flooding, with some reports of thousands of damaged homes. In the vicinity of
Port-au-Prince, brisk winds blew down many refuge tents home to victims from the major
January 12, 2010, earthquake. Overall, officials indicated impact was less severe than initially feared; the storm only left isolated flood damage in its wake, particularly throughout northern parts of the country.
Cuba As Irene was tracking through the Bahamas, the outer bands of the storm dropped light rainfall in eastern
Cuba. The cities of
Moa and
Sagua de Tánamo in
Holguín Province reported of rain. However, the average rainfall throughout the Holguín Province did not exceed . Some damage occurred throughout
Guantánamo Province, where rough surf and rains caused flooding in
Baracoa. In addition, waves of high were seen in Gibara, Holguín, on Wednesday 24, when Irene's eye was located between Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bahamas, just northeast of the city. The strong waves, combined with high tide, caused a slight coastal flooding.
Lucayan Archipelago On August 24, Irene passed over the
British Overseas Territory of
Turks and Caicos Islands at Category 1 strength. The hurricane produced high winds that blew off roofs and downed power lines throughout the territory. In
Cockburn Town, residences reported loss of power, and light poles were toppled. Many homes on
Grand Turk Island also reported a loss of electricity during Irene's passage, although structural damage in the area was limited. The strongest of the rains and gusts occurred in
Providenciales, where light wind damage was reported to roofs and resorts. The Grand Turk cruise port also sustained some minor damage from the storm, but operations resumed three days after impact. A major hurricane, Irene trekked right through
the Bahamas, with its eye making landfall on several of the islands. The extreme winds damaged at least 40 homes on
Mayaguana Island, and dozens of homes on
Acklins were completely obliterated. On the latter island, the hurricane reportedly wiped out 90 percent of the
Lovely Bay settlement. Similar winds tore off the roof and shattered the windows out of a high school on
Crooked Island, where wind gusts as high as were reported. As well, a local church on the island partially collapsed due to the storm. The worst of the destruction occurred in
Cat Island, characterized by widespread shattered glass and torn houses. In all, the storm caused "millions of dollars" worth in structural damage on the island, and left many homeless. Across
New Providence and
Grand Bahama, only limited impact occurred as Irene remained well offshore; businesses operations were scheduled to return to normal shortly after the storm. Nationwide, the damage was estimated at $40 million. Coastal areas suffered extensive flood damage following its potent storm surge, with additional freshwater flooding reported in many areas. The storm spawned scattered tornadoes, causing significant property damage as evidenced by destroyed homes. In the
northeastern region, more than ten rivers measured record flood heights at their
hydrographs. Rivers in at least six Northeastern states reached
hundred-year flood levels, while the flooding in
Greene County, New York was described as
five-hundred-year-flood conditions. Flooding in
Schoharie County, New York was also reported by the National Weather Service in Albany, New York as
five-hundred-year-flood conditions. Throughout its path in the contiguous United States, Irene caused approximately $13.5 billion (2011 USD) in damage and 47 deaths.
Southeast Though Irene spared Florida from a direct hit, its outermost rainbands produced squalls and intermittent torrents along the state's eastern coastlines. Brisk winds produced scattered power outages and waves reaching as high as ; and two surfers were killed offshore
Volusia County. Elsewhere, in
Lantana, large waves sweeping over seawalls went on to destroy a lifeguard tower. Localized
beach erosion was also reported, although it was not significant. Onshore, comparatively light winds brushed the state; the
Lake Worth pier reporting a peak gust of , with the
Palm Beach International Airport recording winds of no more than . Further north, rainfall from the storm totaled no more than on August 24 in
Melbourne. Owing to its unusually large windfield, Irene affected long stretches of
South Carolina coastlines with gusts and sporadic heavy showers, even though it remained offshore. Gale-force winds picked up through the
Lowcountry during the afternoon of August 26, with a gust of measured at a coastal marine observing site on
Folly Island. Scattered power outages left over 4,000 residences in the dark, mostly due to toppled utility poles. The winds also felled trees and generated rough surf along
Charleston County coastlines, and minor beach erosion was noted. Elsewhere in that county, a downed tree trapped several people in their vehicle, but they were all rescued. Tropical-storm-force winds began to affect the
Outer Banks hours before landfall, producing waves of . In addition to the gales, Irene spawned several
tornadoes early on August 27, while approaching the coast. No regular weather station or
buoy, however, measured sustained hurricane-force winds from the storm, with the highest winds officially recorded at by a buoy near
Cape Lookout. Precipitation totals from Irene in the region were particularly high, ranging between ; Bunyan recorded a peak amount of approximately . The large hurricane left extensive damage in its wake and produced three tornadoes that damaged homes and overturned vehicles. Following the touch down of a strong EF2 tornado, at least four homes were demolished in
Columbia, while up to three others sustained significant damage. Two other EF1 tornadoes were also confirmed. The hurricane caused multiple flooded areas and uprooted trees along coastlines; Prior to the storm, a resident in
Onslow County suffered a fatal heart attack while applying plywood to his house. Two people in
Pitt and
Sampson Counties were additionally killed by falling trees, as were two others in
Goldsboro and Pitt County in traffic accidents. A man also drowned in the flooded
Cape Fear River. Hurricane Irene cut several breaches across
NC 12 on
Hatteras Island, isolating the island from the rest of the
Outer Banks. Several of the smaller breaches were filled in with sand, but the largest, which is wide, was left open, recreating
Pea Island for the first time since 1945. As a result, the only way to access Hatteras Island was by ferry. Total damage in North Carolina reached $740 million. on
Assateague Island An EF0 tornado moved through the
Sandbridge community in
Virginia Beach, in the morning hours of August 27, ripping the roofs off at least five homes and damaging several others. Another EF0 tornado occurred near
Chincoteague, causing minor roof and tree damage. High winds in
Newport News knocked a tree into an apartment complex. Three other Virginians in
Brunswick,
Chesterfield and
King William Counties were also killed by falling trees. Following the storm,
Scientific American conducted a study if the passage of Irene was connected to increased aftershocks following the
2011 Virginia earthquake.
Mid-Atlantic Hurricane Irene caused widespread power outages in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Dorchester General Hospital in
Cambridge was evacuated after there was wind and water damage to the laboratory roof. In
Queen Anne's County, Maryland, an 85-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell onto her house causing the chimney to collapse. Farm fields on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland were saturated with water after the storm, causing farmers to hand-pick their crops. Some tomato, corn, and cantaloupe crops were destroyed. Over 800,000 customers in the state lost power. In Delaware, two 25-year-old men were killed in the
Hockessin area in an apparent drowning after attempting to run home through the storm on Saturday night. Their bodies were recovered near
Wilmington on Monday afternoon. An EF1 tornado touched down in
Lewes, causing a path of destruction and , damaging about 50 homes and destroying one. Heavy rains throughout the state were topped at in
Ellendale. Flooding occurred in many areas including the
Delaware Bay communities of
Slaughter Beach,
Primehook Beach, and
Broadkill Beach. Sections of Prime Hook Road leading to Primehook Beach were washed out. Irene flooded and forced the closure of
DE 1 near the
Indian River Inlet Bridge, pushing sand onto the road. Around 50,000 people in the state lost power. Five people were killed in
Pennsylvania: three died as a result of fallen trees, one was killed in a traffic accident, and a woman was swept away by flooding in the
Wissahickon Creek. Wind gusts reached at
Philadelphia International Airport, and rainfall totals reached . Over 11,800 flights at the airport were canceled. Near
Forkston, the rains caused flash flooding that entered about 100 houses, with 25 roads washed out. Two people required rescue from the floodwaters. Damage across
Wyoming County was estimated at over $23 million. About 50,000 people lost power.
New Jersey While the storm made landfall next to
Galloway and
Little Egg Harbor in the southeastern part of the state,
South Jersey received little damage and flooding. Further north, severe river flooding occurred due to record rainfall, with a statewide rainfall maxima of in
Freehold. Eleven rivers reached record levels, and a week after the storm all rivers in the state remained at "moderate flooding level". The flooding affected roads, including the heavily used
I-287 and
Garden State Parkway. Along the
Hudson River, floodwaters affected parts of
Jersey City and
Hoboken. The north tube of the
Holland Tunnel was briefly closed. Flooding affected the train lines in the Trenton area. The storm killed seven people in the state, An EF0 tornado also knocked down trees and power poles in
Robbinsville Township. In total, approximately 1.46 million customers of
JCP&L and
PSEG throughout most of the 21 counties lost power. On Sunday September 5, power had been returned to last remaining 2,000 residents who suffered a
power outage. Flooding in some parts of the state continued for another three days. On August 31,
Paterson counted 6,000 displaced persons, and three of four bridges crossing the
Passaic River remained closed. On August 31, President
Barack Obama declared the state a
disaster area, including all
21 counties. More than 31,000 residents filed assistance claims through FEMA, and within two weeks nearly $38 million had been disbursed with others pending. Hardest-hit counties were
Bergen and
Passaic in the
northeast, each with more than 4,000 claims.
New York In
Manhattan, the
Hudson River flooded in the
Meatpacking District. and many roads were left impassable. The workers at
Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan worked to make the World Trade Center site hurricane proof, and escaped major damage, just missing the tenth anniversary of 9/11. A weak, brief EF0 tornado also touched down in
Queens. Flooding of the
Ramapo River and more than a half-mile (1 km) of washouts led both Metro-North and
NJ Transit to suspend service on the
Port Jervis Line north of
Suffern for nearly three months. Flooding by
Schoharie Creek in the village of
Prattsville, NY caused major damage and destroyed large areas of the village. Eleven houses collapsed in the flood, fifteen were condemned and torn down, and more than 100 homes were so damaged that the residents couldn't return to them, but amazingly there were zero fatalities. It received widespread national news coverage because the village had nearly been washed away. Further upstate, Irene did significant damage in the
Adirondack Mountains. A section of
NY 73 was washed out, isolating two hamlets. Overall, there were ten deaths in the state, most due to flooding. after an estimated $45 million in crop damage on .
New England Southern New England from Hurricane Irene in
Greenwich, Connecticut In
Connecticut, 20 homes in
East Haven were destroyed and five others were damaged beyond repair by flooding and storm surge along the shore of
Long Island Sound. On Sunday, Connecticut's two main electric companies, Connecticut Light and Power and
United Illuminating, reported that a record 754,000 customers, about half the state, were without power. More than two days after the storm made landfall, about 400,000 people were still without power, some being told they would have to wait more than a week, especially in heavily wooded areas. In
Ridgefield, 90% of houses lost power, requiring the utility to turn off power to the other 10% to ease restoration efforts.
Route 15, one of the state's main highways, was closed from the New York state line to
Interstate 91 in
Meriden due to fallen trees. Governor
Dannel Malloy said Hurricane Irene was responsible for a tenth death on August 28: a man who died in a fire likely caused by downed wires from high winds. An elderly woman, who resided in
Prospect, died in similar situations, when a falling tree caused power lines to collapse onto her home, starting a fire; In
Bristol, a man drowned when his canoe capsized. High winds toppled trees and heavy rain caused widespread flooding of Connecticut River tributaries. The
Westfield River rose almost twenty feet in a matter of hours; the
Deerfield River rose over fifteen feet in the same period. Both rivers reached flood stages not seen since the 1955, and 1938, hurricanes and floods. A 6-mile stretch of
Route 2 from Charlemont to Florida along the Cold River branch of the Deerfield was closed due to damage for over 3 months. A
public works employee was electrocuted by downed power lines in
Southbridge.
Rhode Island had gusts of wind up to , uprooting trees and causing extensive damage to its power grid. By the storm's end, an estimated 256,000 out of 480,281 customers were without power. Rhode Island electric company,
National Grid, expected it would take until Labor Day weekend to restore power to the most remote areas and areas which were most damaged. On August 30, two days after the storm, 138,000 customers remained without power. A power line on
Aquidneck Island near
Portsmouth was felled by winds during the morning of August 28, severing power to Portsmouth,
Middletown,
Newport and
Jamestown. Power was not fully restored to Aquidneck Island and
Conanicut Island communities until August 30. The storm surge into Narragansett Bay caused some coastal damage, although
Providence, at the head of the bay, was spared downtown flooding in part due to its
hurricane barrier. There was some localized river flooding, however being on the eastern side of the storm, most of the damage came in the form of wind.
Northern New England Heavy rainfall of up to resulted in almost every river and stream in
Vermont flooding, resulting in at least three deaths and one missing. In
Wilmington, the flood level of the
Deerfield River east branch reportedly exceeded levels measured during the
1938 New England hurricane – the only other tropical cyclone to make a direct hit on Vermont in the state's recorded history. Throughout Vermont, numerous
covered bridges, many over 100 years old, were damaged or destroyed. Extensive road damage resulted in the isolation of over a dozen rural towns that would require helicopter air-lifts of necessities in the days immediately following the storm. The storm decimated multiple sections of
U.S. Route 4 between
Rutland and
Quechee, making east/west travel through the central part of state nearly impossible. The resort town of
Killington as well as neighboring
Pittsfield were completely isolated from travel in and out for two weeks. Statewide, the cost of repairs for road and bridge damage alone was estimated to exceed $700 million. According to the
National Climatic Data Center, total damage in the state of Vermont exceeded $1.3 billion. File:Tropical Storm Irene Flood-Buildings at Quechee Vermont 2011-08-28.jpg|Flood waters from Tropical Storm Irene on the Ottauquechee River in Quechee, Vermont. File:Tropical Storm Irene Flood-Bridge at Quechee Vermont 2011-08-28.jpg|Flood waters on the Ottauquechee River in Quechee scouring the approach to the covered bridge, opposite side. File:Tropical Storm Irene Damage-Bridge at Quechee Vermont 2011-10-23.jpg|Damage caused by flood waters to the Quechee covered bridge on the northern shore of the river. File:Tropical Storm Irene Damage-Bridge at Taftsville Vermont 2012-05-03.jpg|Damage caused by flood waters on the Ottauquechee River to the Taftsville bridge. File:Tropical Storm Irene Damage-Bridge Abutment Swept Away at Royalton Vermont 2011-09-07.jpg|Damage caused by flood waters on the White River to the Royalton, Vermont bridge. In New Hampshire, winds gusted to in
Portsmouth and atop
Mount Washington. Heavy rainfall also fell across the state, peaking at at Mount Washington. The heavy rainfall lead to high river crests across the state, which resulted in $6.5 million in
Gorham alone. The storm resulted in one fatality and three injuries across the state, as well as $17 million in damage, with $9 million being in road damage alone. In addition, over 175,000 people across the state lost power. Tropical storm conditions occurred throughout the state of Maine during Irene's passage. Flooding caused by Irene's heavy rainfall washed out two bridges on
State Route 27 in
Carrabassett Valley. Wind gusts in the state reached in
Turner. Nearly of rain fell in
Andover. Over 200,000 customers in the state lost power.
Canada Irene also affected a large section of Canada, stretching from the
Eastern Ontario to the coasts of
Newfoundland and Labrador. On August 28, in
Quebec, high winds (more than in some places) and heavy rainfall from post-tropical storm Irene knocked out power to over 250,000 homes, felled tree branches, and damaged buildings and traffic signals across
Montreal. One person was killed after a road was washed out and cars were swept into the
Yamaska River near
Sorel-Tracy; another section of road in
Charlevoix was also washed out, while flooding forced evacuations in
Estrie. In
New Brunswick, many trees fell in the wake of the hurricane, mainly due to the strong winds associated with the storm. Heavy rain also fell throughout the province, peaking at in
Fredericton. Power was lost to an estimated 75,000 – 200,000 New Brunswick residents, directly due to the gale-force winds. In
Nova Scotia, over 8,000 people lost power. Insured damage in Canada was estimated at $130 million. == Aftermath ==