Hurricane Isaias has made landfall in the southern part of North Carolina, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said on late Tuesday.
According to the NHC, the storm hit near Ocean Isle Beach, bringing winds of up to 140 kph (about 85 mph).
Isaias is expected to reach New York City by early Tuesday morning, bringing up to 6 inches of rain and winds of up to 112.6 kmh (about 70 mph). At a press conference on Monday, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier urged New Yorkers to "take this storm seriously".
The NHC warns of heavy rainfall and risk of flash flooding from the Carolinas to New England over the next couple of days.