At least 5 dead, millions without power after Tropical Storm Isaias hits East Coast

Tropical Storm Isaias is bringing rain and wind to western New England, gradually weakening as it moves northeastward.

In its path up the East Coast, the storm has battered New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania with heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes and rough winds.

One person in Maryland, one in Connecticut, one in New York and two others in North Carolina have died as a result of the storm.

As of Tuesday night, more than 3.7 million customers were without power across North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine.

At least 21 tornadoes were reported from North Carolina to New Jersey.

Here is a breakdown by region:

New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Long Beach Island in New Jersey reported a wind gust of 109 mph.

Wind gusts reached 66 mph in Atlantic City.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a statewide state of emergency.

"Do not be on the roads unless absolutely necessary," he tweeted.

New Jersey Transit was suspended as of midday Tuesday.

Early Tuesday, some streets in the Philadelphia suburb of Bryn Mawr looked like a river.

Delaware

Gov. John Carney issued a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, following high winds, heavy rainfall, tornadoes and flooding due to Isaias. Carney said several communities in the state had "significant damage."

A flood warning was in effect for New Castle County through 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Maryland

Sotterley, Maryland, was buried under 9 inches of rain, while Prince Frederick, Maryland, saw 8.42 inches of rainfall.

In coastal St. Mary's County, Maryland, a driver was killed Tuesday morning when a massive tree fell on the car, according to the county sheriff's office. The Rehoboth Fire Department said it responded to a man trapped underneath a tree in his yard. Officials said the man was brought to the hospital but did not have an update on his condition.

At Maryland's Charles County-Prince George's County line, two drivers were rescued after their cars were swept off a flooded road, Maryland State Police said.

One driver was taken to the hospital, police said.

New York

New York City was battered by torrential rain and gusty winds Tuesday.

In New York City's harbor, wind gusts reached 72 mph.

A man was killed in the New York City borough of Queens when a downed tree crushed his car, New York ABC station WABC reported.

Only underground subways were operating Tuesday afternoon. Outdoor stations were closed due to high winds.

The Long Island Railroad suspended service system-wide due to high winds. The Metro-North train line also suspended some service.

Carolinas, Virginia

Isaias made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane around 11 p.m. Monday, lashing the coastline and leaving a trail of damage in its wake.

At least two people in North Carolina died as a result of the storm, according to Raleigh ABC station WTVD.

"All in all, this storm got in, got out pretty quickly and that's a good sign for potential river flooding which we hope will not be serious," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told "Good Morning America" Tuesday. "The damage was not in any way as great as it could have been."

In South Carolina, storm surge caused streets to turn to rivers, homes to flood and cars to end up buried under sand.

As Isaias moved north, multiple homes were damaged by downed trees in Suffolk, Virginia, city officials said.

What's next

As of 8 p.m., the center of the storm was near Rutland, Vermont, moving northeast with sustained winds of about 50 mph with higher gusts.

By 11 p.m. Isaias will head into Canada, leaving lingering rain and wind in Maine.

The storm is expected to continue to weaken, becoming post-tropical later Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

This report was featured in the Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, episode of "Start Here," ABC News' daily news podcast.

"Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.

ABC News' Dee Carden, Alex Faul, J. Gabriel Ware and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.