RALEIGH (AP) — Tropical Storm Andrea is bringing rain and wind to Carolinas, causing thousands to lose power and streams to swell.
The storm was racing through South Carolina early Friday and was expected to move into eastern North Carolina by midday.
The National Weather Service issued flood watches across much of both states, was well as tornado and flash flood watches in several counties.
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. reported about 1,300 people without electric service, down from as many as 4,000 earlier in the morning.
Duke Energy reported about 4,500 customers without power in North Carolina, with about 1,600 of those in the Raleigh area.
At 8 a.m., the center of circulation was about 35 miles northwest of Charleston and the strongest sustained winds were 45 mph. There have been gusts of 48 mph near Sullivans Island, 46 at Fort Sumter and 40 at Folly Beach.
Derrec Becker with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said Andrea has been little more than a severe thunderstorm so far. No injuries have been reported and there have been no reports of significant damage. Becker said some trees have been blown over.
Becker said emergency planners and first responders are getting the chance to test their hurricane procedures.
He urged people to take extra time getting to work and encouraged them to monitor weather conditions.
North Carolina Public Safety Department spokeswoman Julia Jarema said there had been no reports of injuries or damage.