Hurricane Irene was downgraded to tropical storm status as it pounded the New York City, the National Hurricane Center said early Sunday.

Flood waters caused by Hurricane Irene raise on a residential street in Ocean City, Maryland, August 27, 2011. Irene, packing winds of near 80 miles per hour, was a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale and was churning north-northeast at 16 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

It lost some strength as it hit the New York City Sunday morning, with winds dropping to 65 mph by 9 a.m. local time (1300 GMT), the center said.

Still, Irene remains dangerous as streets at edges of New York City started to flood.

Up to 4 million people are currently out of power, as power lines were downed by strong wind and heavy rain, while some power plants shut down or cut operation out of precaution.

At least 10 people died from the hurricane in states including North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Florida.

Some were killed when directly struck by toppled trees, some died when fallen trees crashed their houses or cars, while some others were killed in car accidents as the powerful storm caused standing water and failed traffic lights.