9 a.m. Update: Irene Downgraded to Tropical Storm

The center of Hurricane Irene passed over New York City at 9 a.m. and Long Island remains caught in the storm's winds.

The latest information from the National Hurricane Center's 9 a.m. Sunday downgrades Irene to a Tropical Storm as the storm's maximum winds have dropped to 65 mph.

National Weather services has issued a hurricane warning and flood watch that remain in effect for the Long Island area.  

RELATED: Follow Patch live blogs on the storm from the ,  and .

The NWS calls for Long Island to have torrential rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated areas receiving up to 15 inches. Higher than normal tides are expected to raise water levels by 4 to 8 feet in coastal communities producing moderate to major flooding.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on Thursday. It produced a cascade of emergency measures, including:

• The MTA  for buses, subways and trains at noon Saturday.
• Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced a  for all residents living south of Sunrise Highway, from the Queens line to Rockville Centre and south of Merrick Road, from Rockville Centre to the Nassau-Suffolk border. All those residing in these areas must evacuate by 5 p.m. Saturday.
• North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman said low-lying areas and storm surge zones , including parts of Manorhaven, Manhasset Isle, Port Washington North and residents that live along Shore Road along Manhasset Bay.
• Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko announced a  effective 8 a.m. Saturday for those who reside in the town's South Shore flood zones, from Center Moriches toPatchogue.
•  of low-lying areas south ofMontauk Highway will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. 
•  began 3 p.m. Friday.
• Asharoken Mayor Patricia Irving has urged residents to . 
• East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson officially declared a on Saturday. 
•  began mandatory evacuations of low-lying areas at 10 a.m. Saturday.
•   will officially be in a state of emergency beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, according to Mayor David Nyce.

According to NOAA models, Long Island faces up to an 100 percent probability of seeing tropical storm-force winds up to 74 mph. The model also shows the Island has a 10 percent chance of facing hurricane force winds.