Tropical Storm Ophelia left tens of thousands of people without power as it hit North Carolina.

Satellite image shows Tropical Storm Ophelia making landfall. Photo: NOAA via AP

Tens of thousands of Americans were without power Saturday after Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall on the North Carolina coast.

The storm made landfall near the Emerald Isle early Saturday morning, hitting eastern areas of the state with rain, 70 mph winds and hazardous conditions. waves of water.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ophelia will continue to weaken as it turns north on Saturday and then moves northeast on Sunday.

More than 43,000 people were without power in North America, according to Poweroutage. Carolina when the storm began on Saturday. .us, which tracks utility reports, and another 13,000 people were affected in Virginia.

«When you have a slow-moving storm like this with a few inches of rain combined with wind gusts reaching 30 to 40 mph, that's enough to knock down a tree or knock over limbs,» Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks told WTVD. -TV on Saturday. «And that's what we've seen in most of the regions where we've had outages.»

The waves are breaking. the marina at Rudy's Bay in Virginia Beach as Ophelia approaches the site. Photo: Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP

Philip Papin, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said the main risk from the storm system over the next couple of days will be the threat of flooding from rain.

“There were tropical storms. There are strong winds but they are starting to subside as the system moves further inland,” Mr Papin said. «However, there is a significant threat of flooding for large portions of eastern North Carolina and southern Virginia over the next 12 to 24 hours.»

Storm Surge Warning, indicating danger from rising ocean waters, pushed inland. Ophelia was actually located from Bogue Inlet, North Carolina to Chincoteague, Virginia. Waves of four to six feet were forecast in some areas. A tropical storm warning was issued from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to Fenwick Island, Delaware.

The governors of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland declared states of emergency Friday. Some schools closed early and several weekend events were cancelled. The North Carolina Ferry System has suspended all routes until conditions improve.