Historic rainfall caused severe floods in North Carolina on Monday, as a potential tropical cyclone brought rain totals unseen seen in hundreds of years, according to meteorologists. The cities of Carolina Beach, Boiling Springs Lakes, and Southport got more than a foot of rain in the first 12 hours of Monday, a deluge that occurs only every 200 years on average, according to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, North Carolina. Carolina Beach received more than 18 inches in half a day, which happens “once every 1000 years!” according to the office.

Though the “low-pressure system” is not organised enough to be designated as a tropical storm and given a name, the National Hurricane Centre warned of the storm’s potential for flash flooding and violent winds of up to 77 mph. As of 5 p.m. ET, the system had winds of 35 mph and was 45 miles west of Cape Fear, North Carolina.

“People have been dealing with flash flooding, tornado warnings, rough surf, and beach erosion across the coastal Carolinas,” AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. According to the NWS Wilmington office, flooding on certain Carolina Beach roadways was at least three feet deep. The office displayed photographs of people in vehicles doing so and encouraged motorists to “never drive around barricades, and please do not drive through flooded roads.”

Due to the severe floods in North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Transportation advised people in affected regions to avoid driving if possible and posted a photo of a collapsed and mostly drowned piece of a street in Southport as the storm inundated dozens of roads.

According to the National Hurricane Centre, the storm was expected to travel over the Carolinas from Monday evening to early Wednesday, and the torrential rainfall it produced could put the whole Mid-Atlantic region at risk of isolated flooding.

The National Hurricane Centre predicts the storm will develop little strength before impacting. Forecasters said it will weaken further as it approaches onshore and eventually dissipate on Wednesday.

According to the weather service, elevated tides linked with the full moon, massive swells, and strong northeast winds are expected to bring high tides throughout the coast, resulting in minor or severe coastal flooding through early next week. Additional storm development may raise the danger of more severe coastal flooding.

Tropical Depression Gordon lost fury in the Atlantic and dropped to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Centre. The weather agency noted that Gordon did not threaten the land.

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