Nearly eight million people across the Mid-Atlantic – from New York to South Carolina – were under tropical storm, storm surge, and flooding warnings as of midday on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

After making landfall near Emerald Isle, North Carolina around 6.15am local time, Ophelia moved inland on a northerly path as it dumped heavy downpours and whipped strong winds in its wake.

Some spots could see up to 25cm of rain and winds of more than 80kph that, combined, were producing storm surge flooding in parts of North Carolina, the service said.

One of the hardest hit communities was Washington, North Carolina, where video footage on social media showed flood waters reaching homes and partly submerging vehicles in parts of the town that sits on the banks of the Pamlico River.

“Some areas are even cut-off, seeing water rescue crews moving throughout town just incase the call comes later,” storm chaser Bryce Shelton said on X, describing the conditions in the town of 10,000 people.

In Virginia, the state’s department of emergency management said in a post on X that its crews were staged across the commonwealth, ready to conduct swift water rescues and debris removal.

By midday, more than 65,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were without power, according to Poweroutage.com.