Heavy rainfall and gusty winds are hitting portions of the Carolinas Monday morning as a system that could become Tropical Storm Helene draws closer.

The rain from the system had moved into southeast Virginia on Tuesday. Along North Carolina's Outer Banks, the storm closed vulnerable coastal highway North Carolina 12 on Ocracoke Island and threatened several homes in Rodanthe, where erosion and rising sea levels have destroyed more than a half-dozen beachfront homes this decade.

A severe storm system that's taking aim at the Mid-Atlantic has flooded the Carolinas with "historic" rains, inundating homes, stranding vehicles and prompting water rescues. The big picture: Flash flood and tropical storm warnings were in effect for portions of North and South Carolina Monday into Tuesday due to the unnamed system that the National Hurricane Center referred to as Potential Tropical Cyclone 8,