ABC NewsBy DANIEL MANZO and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Isaias is racing up the East Coast, battering New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania with heavy rain and rough winds.
Long Beach Island on New Jersey reported a wind gust of 109 mph.
Over 1 million customers are without power in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
There have already been at least 16 reported tornadoes including in North Carolina and New Jersey.
A tornado watch is in effect in Philadelphia and New York City and the tornado threat will soon expand into New England.
Strong winds, flash flooding and tornadoes are spreading north throughout the day, impacting Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York.
Isaias made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane around 11 p.m. Monday, lashing the coastline and leaving a trail of damage in its wake.
At least two people in North Carolina have died, according to ABC Raleigh station WTVD.
“All in all, this storm got in, got out pretty quickly and that’s a good sign for potential river flooding which we hope will not be serious,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told “Good Morning America” Tuesday. “The damage was not in any way as great as it could have been.”
In South Carolina, storm surge caused streets to turn to rivers, homes to flood and cars to end up buried under sand.
As Isaias moved north, multiple homes were damaged by downed trees in Suffolk, Virginia, city officials said.
Over eight inches of rain have been reported in Talbot County, Maryland.
By Tuesday morning, the streets in Philadelphia suburb Bryn Mawr looked like a river.
Wind gusts could exceed 70 mph on the Jersey Shore, bringing damage and power outages.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a statewide state of emergency.
“Do not be on the roads unless absolutely necessary,” he tweeted.
Torrential rain and possible flash flooding are forecast to hit Pennsylvania and New York.
In New York City, Lower Manhattan is especially vulnerable to flooding, said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Between the rain, possible flooding, gusty winds and tornadoes, New Yorkers should “take it seriously,” de Blasio warned Tuesday.
Powerful winds will overtake Long Island and Connecticut while tornadoes will be possible in southern new England.
By Tuesday night, the tornado threat will move to northern New England as Isaias heads toward Canada.
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