Large surf is swirled by the wind and captured by a long exposure, while a person stands on the shore as Hurricane Isaias approaches North Myrtle Beach, SC on Aug 3, 2020. (LOGAN CYRUS / AFP)

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Isaias on Monday night made a landfall in southern US state North Carolina, causing flooding and damaging homes on its way up the coast.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency, with some coastal communities under evacuation orders

The Category 1 storm landed near Ocean Isle Beach, with maximum sustained winds of about 136.8 kmph, local media reported.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of the Carolinas and tropical storm alerts stretch from Florida to New England, according to an ABC News report.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency, with some coastal communities under evacuation orders. He warned on Monday that the rainfall total may reach seven inches (18 cm).

This AFP graphic shows forecast path of Hurricane Isaias.

In Florida, officials already closed several major areas, including beaches, parks and testing sites for COVID-19, said the report.

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Isaias will reach the Mid-Atlantic by early morning Tuesday and the Northeast by Tuesday night, it said, adding that heavy rainfall is expected to hit along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington DC to Philadelphia to New York City.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on late Monday night declared a state of emergency, effective from Tuesday morning.

This RAMMB/NOAA satellite image obtained on Aug 3, 2020 at 12:00 UTC shows Hurricane Isaias off the US southeast coast in the Atlantic Ocean. (HANDOUT / RAMMB / NOAA / NESDIS / AFP)

Isaias began the day as a tropical storm before strengthening into a hurricane hours before hitting the North Carolina coast.