Storm Henri hits parts of Northeastern America

Rescue services assisted local residents during an evacuation effort following a flash flood in Helmetta, New Jersey

More than 120,000 homes in parts of the North East of America are currently without power after a tropical storm reached land.

Storm Henri made landfall in the region on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and strong 60mph winds.

The storm was downgraded from a hurricane to what's known as a tropical depression before it reached land, but it was forecast to dump lots of heavy rain right across the affected areas.

Millions of people living in Long Island and southern New England have been told to prepare for flooding, coastal surges, which is when sea levels rise during a storm, and fallen trees and power lines.

Parts of northeastern America have been hit by heavy rain and strong winds

US president Joe Biden has approved disaster relief for the states of Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, which are all expected to be hit hard by Storm Henri.

"This storm has the potential for widespread consequences across the region with significant flooding and power outages that could affect hundreds of thousands of people," he said.

People in the region have been told to prepare for the extreme weather

The storm has already caused lots of disruptions. Hundreds of flights from New York airport were cancelled and a concert taking place in New York City's Central Park on Saturday evening was quickly stopped "due to approaching severe weather", police said.

New York's current governor Andrew Cuomo said he was particularly concerned about the possibility of flooding in the Hudson River Valley and Catskill Mountains areas of the state.

A concert in New York was cancelled because of the extreme weather

"The storm hits Long Island and then slows. A slow storm is a problematic storm because when the storm slows, it continues to drop rain for a an extended period of time," he said.

"We already have saturated ground... And that's what makes this level of rainfall especially problematic."

About six million people living near the coast in parts of Long Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts had been issued with hurricane warnings before the storm was downgraded and more than 36 million people in large parts of southern New England, as well as New York and New Jersey, had received tropical storm warnings.

What's happening elsewhere?

Floods in the southern state of Tennessee caused lots of damage

Other parts of the US have also been hit by extreme weather. The southern state of Tennessee has been affected by flash floods and heavy rainfall.

Rising waters uprooted trees, flooded homes and swept away cars. Roads and bridges were damaged and thousands of people in parts of the state were left without power.

At least 21 people have lost their lives as a result of the flooding and rescue crews are trying to locate dozens more who have been reported as missing.

President Biden expressed his "deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic loss of life" in Tennessee and said disaster officials were ready to offer assistance where it was needed.