Isaias spawns tornadoes, dumps rain.
WINDSOR, N.C. >> At least four people were killed as Tropical Storm Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain Tuesday along the U.S. East Coast after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina, where it caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people.
Two people died when Isaias spun off a tornado that struck a North Carolina mobile home park. Authorities said two others were killed by falling trees toppled by the storm in Maryland and New York City.
More than 18 hours after coming ashore, Isaias still had sustained top winds of 65 mph at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The storm’s center was about 20 miles west of Albany, New York.
As Isaias sped northward at 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center warned of flash flood threats in New York’s Hudson River Valley and potential for potentially severe river flooding elsewhere in the mid-Atlantic region.
In Philadelphia, the Schuylkill River was projected to crest early today at 15.4 feet, its highest level in more than 150 years. By Tuesday night, the river had already overtopped its banks in low-lying Manayunk, turning bar-lined Main Street into a coffee-colored canal.
Isaias toggled between hurricane and tropical storm strength as it churned toward the East Coast. Fueled by warm ocean waters, the storm got a late burst of strength as a rejuvenated hurricane with top sustained winds of 85 mph before coming ashore late Monday near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.
Many homes flooded in Ocean Isle Beach, and at least five caught fire, Mayor Debbie Smith told WECT-TV.
Before making landfall late Monday, Isaias killed two people in the Caribbean and battered the Bahamas before brushing past Florida.
Tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Power outages also spread as trees fell, with more than 3.3 million customers losing electricity across multiple states Tuesday, according to PowerOutage.