Waters rise above Irene levels in NYC even before Sandy hits

 IMAGE: Waves crash over the bow of a tug boat as it passes near the Statue of Liberty in New York Monday as rough water as the result of Hurricane Sandy churned the waters of New York Harbor.
New York City shuts two major tunnels as the center of the storm was positioned to come ashore Monday night in New Jersey, meaning the worst of the surge could be in the northern part of that state and in New York City and on Long Island. Higher tides brought by a full moon compounded the threat to the metropolitan area of about 20 million people.