Tropical storm Irene lacked anywhere near the force that had been predicted but still toppled trees and flooding did take place in isolated areas of New York city.

There were no reports of major damage to skyscrapers, and officials said the flooding appeared to be limited. In much of the city, people awoke anxious that they would see destruction out their windows, only to find a scene more typical after a major summer storm.

The storm’s greatest effect was on the power grid in New York City’s suburbs, where falling trees brought down power lines throughout the metropolitan area.In some cases it may take up to a week to restore power to all residents and business areas.

Irene picked up pace through the Big Apple and largely spared the big city of significant damage, as she didn’t hang around for very long.

Irene is continuing to weaken as she now enters a new country, Canada.