Although potential Tropical Cyclone 8 moved off the Carolina coast on Tuesday, the cleanup is just beginning.

Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and New Hanover counties Tuesday night after the areas experienced once-in-a-lifetime flooding over the past three days.

“This emergency will help counties impacted by heavy rain and flooding recover from this storm,” Cooper said. “I urge North Carolinians across the state to continue to exercise caution as many roads remain dangerous.”

Monday was a WRAL Weather Alert Day as Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 brought heavy rain, strong winds, and the risk of tornadoes, flooding and power outages to North Carolina. Southeast North Carolina was hit hardest, especially the coastal communities that make up much of the area.

The most significant impacts of PTC 8 were felt in the second half of Monday – particularly along the coast. Carolina Beach received more than 20 inches of rain since Sunday night, resulting in life-threatening flooding. It is being called an extremely rare 1,000-year flood.

Flood and flash flood warnings were issued for several provinces from Monday through Tuesday morning. These have expired and water is receding, but you should still be aware of flooded roads and standing water.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect along the North Carolina coast on Monday, and there were also several tornado warnings.

A final tally Tuesday afternoon showed Carolina Beach had received 20.81 inches of rain since Sunday. Elsewhere in Brunswick County, Southport (19.13 inches) and St. James (18.65) were also hit hard. Standing water was visible along several major roads, including Lake Park Boulevard.

Fallen trees leave thousands without power in North Carolina

Winds reached 30 mph Monday afternoon, saturating the ground and toppling trees. Thousands of power outages were reported across eastern North Carolina Tuesday morning.

At approximately 2 a.m. Tuesday, WRAL News received reports of a fallen tree on Whitman Road in Raleigh.

WRAL News received several reports of fallen trees in the Triangle on Tuesday morning.

Wade Avenue was closed between Dixie Trail and Faircloth Street in Raleigh after a tree felled power lines, snapping a utility pole in half and leaving many residents without power. Duke Energy said power should be back on by 4 p.m.

Flooding and washouts make roads impassable

At around 4:20 a.m., the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) said a portion of Interstate 95 North was closed at Exit 77 (Hodges Chapel Road). The NC DOT considered the road impassable, but it reopened around 7:20 a.m.

At 6 a.m., the NC DOT reported an accident at this location on I-95 North at Exit 77.

NC 12 at Ocracoke Island will not reopen Tuesday. Crews will reassess after high tide Wednesday morning.

“We’re pulling crews from our other five counties to converge on Brunswick County,” said Battle Whitley with NC DOT. “We’re assessing as we go. We’re trying to get to locations and barricade them so people don’t drive through floodwaters and things like that.”

The NC DOT has reported five crashes on Interstate 40 so far Tuesday morning. Three crashes occurred in less than 30 minutes along a 9-mile stretch of the interstate in Durham County.

In Fayetteville, Ramsey Street will remain closed at Drake Street Tuesday morning due to flooding. The road is known to flood during and after storms. Motorists can use Hillsboro Street as a detour.

Please note that it is not safe to drive through flooded roads. Instead, choose an alternative route.

For traffic information, tune in to WRAL News+ or 101.5FM in the Triangle.

Severe flooding from the storm left several people stranded on US Highway 17 in Brunswick County on Monday afternoon.

Due to severe flooding, Brunswick County has issued a curfew for non-connected areas until 7 a.m. Tuesday

Flooding still a threat after curfew lifted. More rain is forecast for Tuesday so be careful when driving in the area.

Southport also suffered from washed-out roads on Monday, leaving major roads impassable due to the storm’s aftermath.

Many people could be seen on the coast helping entrepreneurs and residents with the clean-up.

“It was absolutely raw, you couldn’t see anything,” said Breck Price of The Starlite Inn in Carolina Beach. There were no guests at the hotel Monday night. A nearby sushi bar in town was badly damaged by flooding.

In a Facebook post, Southport police wrote:

“Stay off road if possible – major road closures – this is River Road between Tiger Mart and 50 Lakes Drive – hazardous conditions – impassable conditions on River Road.”

Multiple companies closed

Several businesses along the coast said they were closed due to floodwaters. Although most of the flooding subsided Tuesday, many said they were unable to open their doors Tuesday.

The closed companies are as follows:

• Grind and grind
• Kate’s Pancake House
• Hang Ten Grill
• The Vegetable Cart

School delays on Tuesday

Several schools closed early on Monday due to the bad weather.

The school delays on Tuesday are as follows:

• Ascend Leadership Academy
• Central Carolina CC
• Schools in Duplin County
• Schools in Harnett County
• Schools in Hoke County
• Schools in Lee County
• Little Beginner Learning
• Little Dolphins/Clinton
• New Breed Christian CCC
• New Life Christian Academy
• Schools in Northampton County
• Northwood Temple Academy
• S Wake nursery school & academy
• Sampson Community College
• STARS Charter School
• Stedman BC Daycare
• The Ark Childcare in Clinton
• Tom Thumb Academy in Salemburg
• Trinity Childcare in Fayetteville
• Trinity Christian School
• Schools in Wayne County

Click here to see what time these schools start on Tuesday.

Helpful Links: Sign up for WRAL Weather Alerts | Live DUALDoppler5000 | Wind Speeds & Gusts | Live Cameras Across NC | WRAL Interactive Hurricane Tracker

Tree falls on house in Fayetteville

A huge tree fell on a Fayetteville resident’s home on Monday.

This happened on Broadfoot Avenue in the Haymount neighborhood. Fortunately, no one was injured.

“Part of the roof is gone and it fell all the way down onto the porch,” said homeowner Sharon Moyer.

Floods pose biggest threat, emergency services on standby

Floods are often the most dangerous part of a storm.

“Water is one of the most powerful forces on Earth. Even a small amount of rain or floodwater on a road can be devastating,” said Darshan Patel, operations manager for Wake County Emergency Management.

Patel said the ground is already saturated due to this week’s rainfall and that could easily lead to flooding in low-lying areas.

“We are working closely with our partners to assess potential public safety concerns. If risks are identified, we are ready to take proactive measures,” he said.

Crews are also monitoring the condition of roads and power lines.

“It’s a constant challenge with Mother Nature,” said Jeff Brooks, spokesman for Duke Energy. “Drip soil makes it even more difficult to prevent power outages from falling trees, but we’re doing everything we can to minimize disruptions.”

Duke Energy is keeping its current crews on standby and prepared to deploy to critical areas if needed. Although summer is winding down, the peak of tropical storm season has only just begun.

“This system developed quickly offshore and will continue to bring severe weather for the next few days,” Brooks said. “We could see more storms like this soon.”

For local safety updates, residents are encouraged to use ReadyWake, a mobile resource that provides notifications of potential hazards in their area.

Road closure information is also available on DriveNC, which has added a “Potential Tropical Cyclone” tab to its website. Users can toggle this on and off to see specific impacts this storm will have on the roads.

Governor Cooper urges caution

Governor Roy Cooper posted a message on X urging residents to stay safe.

“Severe flooding is affecting southeastern North Carolina as heavy rains continue,” he said. “We are in contact with local officials and @NCEmergency is assisting coastal communities with their storm response.

“Stay safe and follow the instructions of local emergency services.”