Tropical Storm Isaias Approaches Carolinas, Set to Regain Hurricane Strength
Floods forecast as tropical storm drifts up US East Coast
Tropical Storm Isaias is churning up the Mid-Atlantic U.S. after making landfall as a category 1 hurricane Tuesday night in South and North Carolina, triggering flooding and tornadoes.
The National Hurricane Center said since Isaias moved inland, the winds decreased but strong gusts continued over coastal North Carolina and the coastal Outer Banks, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.
Isaias initially made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h just after 11pm EDT on Monday.
The NHC said early Tuesday that strong winds, heavy rainfall and tornadoes were sweeping over eastern Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula and predicted they would spread up the Mid-Atlantic coast throughout the day.
Isaias was packing sustained winds of 110 km/h with higher gusts and is expected to gradually weaken throughout the day before becoming a post-tropical storm overnight.
Heavy rainfall along the East Coast has sparked flash flooding along coastal areas of North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic and is expected to continue in the northeastern U.S. states later Tuesday.
Tornadoes produced by Isaias killed at least one person and flattened at least 10 homes in a mobile home park in Windsor, North Carolina, according to the Bertie County sheriff’s department.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect from the Virginia border north to the state of Maine, in the upper northeast.
President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in North Carolina to free up funds for federal officials to help towns and cities coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Trump made a similar declaration Saturday for Florida, which was spared the full impact of the storm.