Zeta causes more than 400,000 power outages across North Carolina as winds gust over 50 mph

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As of Thursday afternoon, more than 400,000 people are without power across North Carolina as Zeta, which is now a post-tropical storm, moves through the Tar Heel State.

Zeta brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the Carolinas after hitting the coast of Louisiana as a Category 2 Hurricane.

There were roughly 407,000 people without power in the state as of 3:40 p.m, according to Duke Energy.

For updates on the impacts of Zeta in North Carolina, make sure to download the free ABC11 mobile app to your phone or one of our streaming apps to your TV.

There are roughly 407,000 people without power in the state as of 3:40 p.m, according to Duke Energy. Most of the outages are concentrated in the western half of the state, where the mountains and foothills are getting the heaviest amounts of rain. As of 3 p.m., Forsyth County had nearly 50,000 outages.

WATCH: Impact of Zeta on Central North Carolina

Zeta brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the Carolinas after hitting the coast of Louisiana as a Category 2 Hurricane.

In the Triangle, Durham County has more than 7,600 customers without power, Orange County has 4,260, and Wake County has just over 1,300.

Types of generators: What to know about power generators before a blackout

As of 1:30 p.m., Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Burlington and Greensboro had all seen gusts over 50 mph. Fayetteville gusts reached 49 mph, prompting President Donald Trump to postpone his planned rally for the evening.

Nearly 2 million customers were without power across several southern states before dawn. PowerOutage.us reported about 1.8 million were without electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Georgia had the most with more than 800,000 in the dark.

At least three deaths have been reported so far. One person died from electrocution after touching a downed power line in New Orleans, and another was killed when a large tree uprooted and fell through the corner of a mobile home in Acworth, Georgia.

Zeta is a fast-moving storm and was tracking east-northeast at 53 miles per hour as of 2 p.m.

How to contact Duke Energy, Wake Electric, FayPWC

The Associated Press contributed to this report.