Hurricane Matthew in the Carolinas: October 8, 2016

Hurricane Matthew was the most powerful storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and made its fourth and final landfall near McClellanville, South Carolina as a category 1 hurricane late in the morning of October 8th.  Although gusts above hurricane force were reported along the Carolina coast, Matthew will be remembered for its extreme rainfall and deadly flooding. According to the National Hurricane Center, Matthew was directly responsible for 25 deaths in North Carolina and four in South Carolina, all but one due to flooding.  Damage in the United States was estimated by the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) at $10.3 billion.  The name "Matthew" was officially retired from the list of Atlantic hurricane names due to the immense destruction it caused during its trek across the Caribbean islands and the Southeastern United States.

The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season featured 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes.  The Carolinas were affected by four tropical cyclones in 2016 prior to Matthew:  Bonnie, Colin, Hermine, and Julia. 

STORM HISTORY

Matthew became a tropical storm at 8:00 a.m. on September 28th while moving away from the Lesser Antilles island chain. Matthew steadily strengthened as it moved westward and became a hurricane on September 29th.  On September 30th the storm rapidly strengthened and became a category 5 storm with wind speeds of 165 mph -- the first Atlantic hurricane to reach category 5 intensity since Felix back in 2007.  Matthew weakened slightly as it turned northward across the Caribbean Sea, but still reached the coast of Haiti as a category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds during the morning of October 4th.  After touching the easternmost tip of Cuba, Matthew turned northwestward across the Bahamas on October 5th, remaining a major hurricane as it turned northward on October 7th just off the Florida east coast.  Winds over 100 mph were recorded at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, FL.

As Matthew approached the Georgia and South Carolina coast early in the morning of October 8th, cool, dry air pulled in from the landmass began to weaken the storm.  Rain bands evaporated over the southern half of the circulation as the storm turned northeastward just off the coast of Charleston, SC.  Even in its weakened state, Matthew still produced wind gusts as high as 96 mph on Tybee Island, GA and 87 mph on Hilton Head, SC.  A wind gust to 103 mph was recorded by a Weatherflow station at 50 feet elevation at the entrance to Winyah Bay, southeast of Georgetown, SC.  Matthew officially made landfall at 11 AM on October 8th in the Cape Romain Wildlife Sanctuary just south of McClellanville, SC, becoming the first October hurricane to make landfall north of Florida since Hurricane Hazel did it in 1954.

After moving across Winyah Bay as a category 1 hurricane around noon, Matthew's center reemerged into the Atlantic Ocean around 1:00 p.m. on October 8th.  The storm turned northeastward during the afternoon, just missing Bald Head Island by ten or twenty miles as cool, dry air continued to pour into the storm's circulation from the north and west.  Thunderstorms diminished rapidly, and Matthew was officially declared post-tropical during the morning of October 9th while moving east of Cape Hatteras, NC.

COASTAL IMPACTS ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTH CAROLINA

A combination of wind and storm surge caused extensive damage along the South Carolina coastline.  In most locations water levels were three to five feet above the normal astronomical tides.  In Beaufort County, SC damage was particularly severe on the sea islands south and east of Beaufort including Hilton Head Island, Fripp Island, Dataw Island, and at Hunting Island State Park.  Observed damage to trees and homes implies winds reached at least 100 mph in these communities.  Storm surge flooding moved boats inland, including four boats deposited on the runway of the Beaufort County airport.  One lane of the Harbor Island Bridge over to Hunting Island was scoured out by the storm surge.

In Charleston, SC storm surge flooding was extensive.  The tidal gauge in downtown Charleston recorded its third highest level ever, exceeded only by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and by an unnamed hurricane in 1940.  (Note: Matthew's storm tide was exceeded by 2017's Hurricane Irma in Charleston)  Severe beach erosion was reported from Isle of Palms and from Edisto Island where a post-storm survey conducted by NWS Charleston meteorologists indicated at least 70 homes were undermined or damaged, and roads were covered with up to five feet of sand.

Storm surge damage occurred to homes on portions of Pawleys Island, with the first floor walls and doors of many beach houses knocked out by the surge. The Town Hall was flooded, and a long portion of Springs Avenue at the south end of Pawleys Island was covered with sand two to four feet deep.  The mayor of Pawleys Island was quoted in news reports saying the frontal dunes on two-thirds of the island were destroyed.  A newsletter for the DeBordieu Beach community referenced only minor sand loss and a single area of ocean overwash onto DeBordieu Boulevard.

In Myrtle Beach storm surge and large waves destroyed most of Springmaid Pier, including the NOAA weather station which was attached to the end of the pier.  Weather and tide data was lost between 12:18 and 12:24 p.m. EDT on October 8th, implying the likely time of the pier's destruction.  Just to the south, Garden City Pier suffered damage, and Surfside Pier lost about half of its 689-foot length.  Early in the morning of October 8th an EF0 tornado touched down in North Myrtle Beach.  A storm survey indicated the tornado had winds near 85 mph and was on the ground for around 1.5 miles causing damage to a number of trees and minor structural damage to homes and businesses.

A storm surge three to four feet above normal tide levels brought ocean overwash and beach erosion to Southeastern North Carolina.  Erosion was particularly severe on Oak Island and the eastern end of Ocean Isle Beach, NC where water was flowing beneath homes at the ends of East 2nd and 3rd streets.  Damage to the dunes on Oak Island was extensive and nearly complete in some areas.  Local news video showed a 150 foot portion of the Oak Island pier collapsing during the height of the storm surge event.  Damage to dunes was less extensive at Caswell Beach.  On Bald Head Island the worst beach erosion occurred to the south- and west-facing beaches, with much less damage on the east-facing beach. Beach erosion was generally minor on the east-facing beaches of New Hanover County, although on Topsail Island the Surf City town manager was quoted in local newspapers saying escarpments up to ten feet high were cut into the beach. Although wind gusts of 60 to 75 mph were reported from a number of locations across Southeastern North Carolina, damage was primarily limited to trees and power lines with only minor damage to homes. 

A second area of significant wind damage from Hurricane Matthew occurred across the northern Outer Banks.  This was believed to be caused by the tight pressure gradient between Matthew and strong high pressure located over the Great Lakes. Wind gusts in the 75-90 mph range caused mainly minor damage to over 500 homes in the town of Duck. Ocean overwash and eroded sand closed portions of NC Highway 12 along the length of the highway from Nags Head all the way south into Hatteras Village.

* Table updated on 8/26/2021 to correct peak wind gust in Florence, SC

EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AND RECORD RIVER FLOODING

Matthew's largest impact across the Carolinas was flooding from historic rainfall.  Twelve to eighteen inches of rain fell over large portions of interior South and North Carolina.  This occurred at the end of a wet period which had seen six to ten inches of rain recently dumped by Tropical Storm Hermine. 

Rainfall rates increased to one to two inches per hour early in the morning of October 8th and stayed there for most of the day, leading to exceptional flash flooding.  The first reports of significant flooding arrived between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. with road closures reported in Garden City, Marion and Florence, SC.  By 9:00 a.m. storm-total rainfall amounts were already approaching 10 inches in portions of Williamsburg County, SC.  Flooding became widespread by late morning with road closures reported in Wilmington, Whiteville, and Pembroke, NC and in Conway, SC.

Two people in Florence County, SC died when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.  In Marion County, SC a man was trapped in his home by rising floodwaters and died.  Additional fatalities from flash flooding occurred around 1:30 p.m. near Clarkton in Bladen County, NC.  Rosindale Road washed out and swept a vehicle off the road, killing two of its three occupants.  According to data tabulated by the National Hurricane Center, 22 additional fatalities due to flooding occurred in Cumberland, Gates, Hartnett, Johnston, Lenoir, Pitt, Robeson, Wayne, and Wilson counties in North Carolina, the majority from floodwaters sweeping vehicles off the road.

Rivers rose to all-time record levels in many locations with severe and life-threatening impacts occuring.  Much like happened during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, flooding occurred well outside of typical river floodplains into areas that residents did not believe could flood.  In North Carolina Matthew's flood damage estimated at $1.5 billion.  In South Carolina private insurance claims totaled $550 million, with $100 million in damage to public roads, and $52 million in insured crop damage.

Specific impacts by river are listed below.

Additionally, the Black River at Kingstree, SC crested at 17.81 feet on October 13th, the second highest in history behind Hurricane Floyd.  The Black Creek at Quinby, SC crested at 16.46 feet, the third highest in history.

PHOTOS

The following is a selection of photos taken by NWS meteorologists from Northeastern South Carolina and Southeastern North Carolina showing some of the damage from Hurricane Matthew.

VIDEOS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

National Hurricane Center:  Hurricane Matthew Tropical Cyclone Report

National Hurricane Center: Archive of Matthew Advisories, Forecasts, and Discussions

US Geological Survey:  Hurricane Matthew Flood Event Viewer with high-density, high-resolution water level data

US Geological Survey:  Peak Stage & Streamflow Data for North & South Carolina

National Weather Service Charleston, SC:  Local Event Summary

National Weather Service Columbia, SC:  Map of South Carolina Rainfall and Peak Wind Gusts

NOAA Remote Sensing Division:  High-resolution Aerial River Flooding Imagery from October 9-16, 2016

NOAA Office for Coastal Management:  Hurricane Matthew Track Explorer

Wilmington Star-News:  Rundown of Wilmington area Hurricane Damage

Research & Page Author: Tim Armstrong
Page Created: September 29, 2017
Last Updated: August 26, 2021