Irene exits U.S.Entering in Canada

A post-tropical Irene has moved out of the U.S. and the National Hurricane Center has lifted all watches and warning for the storm.

Now -- the aftermath and cleanup.

Though Irene's strong winds did not pack the punch expected from Maryland through New England, at least 21 people have been killed as a result of the storm and torrential rain continues to cause widespread flooding.

Bay News 9 Meteorologist Diane Kacmarik said Sunday night heavy rain continues to fall and dangerous flooding conditions remain throughout Tropical Storm Irene's path.

More than 4.5 million homes and businesses along the coast lost power, and at least 15 deaths have been blamed on the storm.

In a speech from the White House Rose Garden on Sunday, President Obama made it clear the threat for the U.S. mainland was not over.

With roads impassable because of high water and fallen trees, it could be days before the full extent of the damage is known.

The stories and images thus far show a consistent pattern of flooding, toppled trees and power outages.

An "astronomically high tide" and water pushed into the Hudson and East rivers by Irene flooded lower Manhattan.

Irene's maximum sustained winds have been steadily falling and now stand at 50 mph at 5 p.m. Irene has left the New York City metropolitan area, but officials still warned residents not to wander outside.

Travelers across the nation waited for flights to resume in and out of East Coast airports that were closed by Tropical Storm Irene this weekend.

New York City's three major airports, Newark, JFK and LaGuardia, are scheduled to reopen Monday morning between 6 and 7 a.m.

In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie expressed similar concerns, saying there is flooding everywhere.

It's been a familiar scene up and down the coast. Farther south in Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter said couches and other furniture have been floating down city streets.

Parts of the northeast have already have 6 inches of rain in the past few weeks and could get at least that much more Sunday.

Irene made a second landfall at 5:35 a.m. when its center crossed the New Jersey coastline north of Atlantic City. If it stays onshore, it might weaken more before the center crosses into western Long Island.

Radar shows the heaviest rainfall to the north of Irene’s center of circulation. The widespread rainfall extends northward to the U.S. and Canadian border. Some dry air has eroded the rainfall on the system’s south and east side, making the north/west sides, oddly enough, more intense, Bay News 9 Meteorologist Josh Linker said Sunday morning.

Of note, a long tail of storms extends south and west over the western Atlantic Ocean and Florida and ending in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a continuous line of storms directly related to Irene.

Model data continues to move Irene north and east over the course of Sunday showing Irene moving parallel to New Jersey and crossing Long Island, N.Y., Sunday morning.

Heavy rains will continue to saturate already soggy ground, which, combined with wind gusts, could topple trees. Storm surge on top of high tide around 8 a.m. Sunday might bring flooding into lower Manhattan and along Staten Island. Surge in New York Harbor already was 4 feet at 4 a.m. Surge along the South Shore of Long Island might reach 6 to 8 feet Sunday morning.

Hurricane Irene lashed North Carolina and Virginia on Saturday, and has moved into the Atlantic as it aims for landfall again near New York City sometime Sunday.

Bay News 9 Meteorologist Diane Kacmarik said late Saturday night the biggest impact of Irene will likely be along Long Island, NY, east of the center of where Irene makes landfall: