Some 65,000 people were evacuated from Wilkes-Barre, a city in northeastern Pennsylvania, and another 35,000 people were evacuated in surrounding counties, authorities said. At least three people died in Pennsylvania due to the flooding.

About 20,000 residents of Binghamton, near the Pennsylvania border, were ordered to evacuate, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. There were more evacuations in Broome, Schenectady and Schoharie counties in New York, authorities said.

Residents of Havre de Grace, with a population of about 11,000, and other Maryland towns also were ordered to evacuate, authorities said.

A state of emergency was declared in Pennsylvania's capital Harrisburg, hit by 12 inches of rain.

Residents were warned of flooding conditions in states from Virginia up the East Coast to Massachusetts. Highways were closed and rail service stopped by flooding.

In the Philadelphia area, flooding, mudslides and rock slides closed some of the busiest commuter highways, including the Schuylkill Expressway and US Route 1, authorities said.

Railways were also shut because of flooding, including four heavily traveled commuter lines run by the Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA). Amtrak shut rail service west of the New York capital Albany.