Downpours from Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 flood coastal areas along North and South Carolina

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds clammed parts of the Carolinas on Monday as an offshore low-pressure system inched closer to land.

While the center of the low-pressure system remained off the coast, the bulk of the rain and wind associated with the storm pushed ashore, dumping more than a dozen inches of water along coastal areas.

Matias Vera and his wife Jennie were at an appointment in Wilmington when they got word that their children's elementary school was closing because of serious flooding in the area.

"This definitely caught us by surprise," Matias said.

After they picked up their children, they realized there was no way they could get home. Flood water blocked their path back to their home.

"I wasn't expecting this at all. This is wild," Jennie said.

Carolina Beach Mayor Lynn Barbee said the heavy rainfall caused several water rescues throughout the town.

"It was raining sideways. We've never had water on our windows or our balcony. Our slider doors for our balcony are probably 12 feet back, under a covered roof and we've got water cascading into the bedroom," Debbie Michel said.

Barbee said, fortunately, there are no reports of injuries related to this storm. However, many people have been displaced from their homes by the rising flood water.

"Never seen this much rain fall in such a short period of time," Mark Michel said.

Forecast

It is still being called Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 because it hasn't become organized enough to be classified as a tropical or subtropical storm. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center now says it is nearly impossible for this storm to become a tropical storm.

All tropical storm warnings along the coast have been canceled.

ABC11 meteorologist Kweilyn Murphy called that early Monday morning. She said she did not expect the storm to strengthen and organize enough before it moved over land in the Carolinas on Monday night through early Wednesday.

NC Impact

The ABC11 viewing area will experience heavy rain and gusty winds Monday and Tuesday. This could lead to localized flooding and power outages.

Rain totals of 2 to 4 inches in our viewing area are possible with some areas experiencing more. Wind gusts could reach up to 40 mph.

There are flood watches across multiple NC counties, including Wake, Orange and Durham counties, Monday. There is also an isolated tornado risk.

Rain has already drenched eastern parts of the Carolinas Monday morning, triggering flash flood warnings. Strong winds lapped against the coast, churning up rough seas.

Areas near the North Carolina and South Carolina border, including Wilmington, are under a level 3 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall, according to the Weather Prediction Center. A larger level 2 of 4 risk area is across most of NC and northern SC.

This storm comes as much of the region has already seen above-average rainfall this year, largely due to Debby. As a tropical depression, Debby brought a flash flood emergency to Charleston, SC, and widespread rainfall of 6 to 12 inches across the Carolinas just over a month ago.

CNN contributed to this report.