Torrential Rains and Hurricane-Force Winds Slam East Coast as Powerful Storm Wallops Region

Cities up and down the East Coast are bracing for impacts from a powerful storm system expected to unleash torrential rains, punishing winds, and severe thunderstorms over the next two days.

The storm already battered Florida and South Carolina over the weekend. Now, its effects are spreading northward and are likely to persist through Monday across a large swath of the Eastern Seaboard from Georgia to Maine.

In South Carolina, Charleston broke daily rainfall records on Sunday, with the downtown area recording 3.86 inches which led to substantial street flooding and road closures. Videos from beach towns showed high water levels and intense winds shaking cars. Forecasters say more heavy rains are on the way.

Further north, the Washington DC region saw over an inch of rainfall in just three hours last night. A flash flood watch remains in effect there as the soil is already saturated. New York City and southern Maine are also prepping for deluges, gusty winds, and possible coastal inundation during high tides.

Federal meteorologists say the storm's severity stems from an extreme contrast between warm air over the Atlantic Ocean colliding with cold land-based air. This clash helps feed torrential rains into the counter-clockwise rotating system expected to intensify as it moves north.