Irene Becomes 76th Retired Hurricane Name

East Windsor, Hightstown and Cranbury residents won't soon forget Hurricane Irene, which came storming in Aug. 28, or the damage that it left in its wake.

Irene caused so much destruction along the eastern seaboard that the World Meteorological Organization’s hurricane committee announced Friday that Irene's name has been retired and replaced by Irma. 

The announcement, made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said that Irene is the 76th name to be retired from the Atlantic list since 1954. 

Irene became a hurricane on Aug. 22, 2011, and intensified to a Category 3 hurricane when it made contact with the Bahamas. Irene made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in North Carolina on Aug. 27 before hammering the eastern seaboard with fierce winds and a storm surge that struck at the new moon high tide, causing extreme flooding. Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in three years.

The storm was blamed for 49 deaths, including 41 in the U.S., and damage estimated at $15.8 billion.