The storm flooded roads, downed trees and stranded residents across the central part of the state. It is headed northeast toward Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

Tropical Storm Chantal might have had the perfect recipe for catching people unawares: It formed rapidly (only reaching tropical storm status on Saturday) over a holiday weekend and moved slowly while dropping torrential rain.

Dozens of residents needed to be rescued from rising water, and hundreds of roads were closed as the storm moved over the central part of North Carolina.