On Sunday, about 15 people were injured by tornadoes in the eastern part of the state.

Gov. Mike Easley said Monday that nine people were injured in Bertie County and six in Onslow. Most of the injuries were minor. The weather service confirmed tornadoes in the counties.

Winds were forecast to decrease Monday evening in the west but continue blowing through the night at the coast, with soundside flooding on the northern Outer Banks. The flooding happens when strong winds blow the shallow sound waters onto land.

A coastal flood watch and a high surf advisory were in effect until this afternoon.

The Coast Guard urged caution on coastal waters, and a gale warning was posted for Virginia and North Carolina.

The wind was caused by a low-pressure system moving toward the east and high pressure behind it, meteorologist Doug Outlaw said.

Jeffrey Taylor of the National Weather Service said the maximum gust was 51 mph at Asheville.

"We've heard of a lot of trees knocked down but no injuries or fatalities," Taylor said.

Meteorologist Chris Collins said gale force winds were blowing along the coast, ranging up to 40 mph in many places. A high wind warning was posted until this morning for the Outer Banks.

The worst-affected area appeared to be the town of Black Mountain, near Asheville, where Progress Energy reported about 3,400 outages.

A man in Black Mountain was trapped briefly in his house when wind blew a tree onto his roof, town Fire Chief Steve Jones said.

"Some of these trees just uprooted, and there was one tree that went right through a trailer," Jones told the Asheville Citizen-Times. He said a tree fell on the back of his vehicle while he was driving about 2 a.m. Monday.

"We would clear one road and take out one tree, then another tree would fall," he said.