Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in US North Carolina

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Isaias on Monday night made a landfall in southern US state North Carolina, causing flooding and damaging homes on its way up the coast.

The Category 1 storm landed near Ocean Isle Beach, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (about 136.8 kmph), local media reported.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of the Carolinas and tropical storm alerts stretch from Florida to New England, according to an ABC News report.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency, with some coastal communities under evacuation orders. He warned on Monday that the rainfall total may reach seven inches (18 cm).

In Florida, officials already closed several major areas, including beaches, parks and testing sites for COVID-19, said the report.

Isaias will reach the Mid-Atlantic by early morning Tuesday and the Northeast by Tuesday night, it said, adding that heavy rainfall is expected to hit along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington DC to Philadelphia to New York City.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on late Monday night declared a state of emergency, effective from Tuesday morning.

Isaias began the day as a tropical storm before strengthening into a hurricane hours before hitting the North Carolina coast.