Helene weakened to a tropical storm Friday after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday night. The storm is still making its way north through the southeastern region, but its impacts are already being felt across much of the Carolinas.

In North Carolina, the mountain region has taken the hardest beating so far, with mandatory evacuations being issued in some areas due to floods.

Other parts of the state have also seen high waters due to rain, as well as fallen trees and power outages due to high winds and saturated grounds.

Many areas were already seeing flooding in roadways and trees coming down due to consistent, and at times, heavy rainfall Thursday. Tornado warnings also popped up in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, mainly to the northwest. 

As of Friday morning, two deaths had already been attributed to impacts from Helene.

Conditions are not expected to improve until midday Friday. Up to 18" of rain is forecast in the mountains through Friday, according to Spectrum News 1 meteorologists.

Related article: Helene could produce catastrophic flooding and tornadoes in North Carolina

Widespread flooding and the potential for landslides will make travel conditions dangerous in western North Carolina, where impacts from the storm are already visible. Flooding started Wednesday night.

Several mountain rivers have already overflowed. NCDOT crews began prep work Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the storm, getting tools ready, power line holes filled and cutting down dead trees. 

Wind gusts continue to be a major a concern, as most of the state will be on the side of the storm where tornadoes could spin up, according to Spectrum News 1 meteorologists.

Spectrum News 1 crews are gathering photos from across the state as Helene approaches.