In the Wilmington area, some places received more than 15 inches of rain, accompanied by strong winds and power outages. The cities of Carolina Beach, Boiling Springs Lakes and Southport received more than a foot of rain in the first 12 hours of Monday. That happens on average once every 200 years, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

The 18 inches of snow that fell on Carolina Beach in about 12 hours is a “once in 1,000 year event!” the agency said.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation on Monday urged people in affected areas to avoid driving if possible. The department posted a photo of a collapsed and largely submerged section of a street in Southport as the storm flooded dozens of roads.