THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT TODAY!

Sunday 8pm (UK time)

Striking images and further recap from Hurricane Matthew

Hattaras Village, NC

A1A in Flagler Beach, FL wiped out!

And in Summer Haven, FL

Brunswick, GA

Norfolk, VA

Lumberton, NC

Rainfall totals from the past 3 days

Facts and Records from Hurricane Matthew From Phil Klotzbach

Sunday 11am (UK time)

Even as of 11pm ET last evening, Matthew remains a Category 1 hurricane but during the overnight underwent a transition to post tropical as it pulls out into the Atlantic. Storm structure has changed, hence ‘post tropical’ but it’s still dangerous and producing hurricane-force conditions with gusty wind, heavy rain and flooding remaining an issue for the coastal Carolinas and Virginia today!

LATEST FROM WEATHER.COM

Matthew Becomes Post-Tropical as it Begins to Move Away From the U.S.

Matthew became a post-tropical cyclone just off the coast of North Carolina early Sunday morning.

This means Matthew has lost it tropical characteristics, but is still bringing rain and wind impacts to the East Coast.

Rain and wind from Matthew will begin to wind down during the first half of Sunday as it moves farther out to sea.

Early Sunday morning, a wind gust to 79 mph was reported in Duck, North Carolina.

Jennettes Pier in North Carolina’s Outer Banks saw sustained winds of 75 mph with a gust to 91 mph just after 5:00 a.m.

On Saturday, Matthew brought widespread flash flooding to eastern North Carolina where hourly rainfall estimates from radar were as high as 7 inches per hour. Buildings were flooded, roads have washed out, and sections of Interstates 95 and 40 were flooded in the Tar Heel State.

Fayetteville, North Carolina, picked up over 8 inches of rain in 6 hours Saturday morning and totaled over a foot of rain from this event.

The NWS office in Wilmington, North Carolina, issued its first ever flash flood emergency early Saturday afternoon for Horry County, including the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand and Conway, South Carolina due to the combination of rainfall and storm surge flooding. Flash flood emergencies are only issued during rare, exceptionally dangerous events.

(MORE: Hurricane Central | Interactive Storm Tracker Map)

Matthew’s storm surge coupled with high tide lead to a record tide level at Ft. Pulaski, Georgia, early Saturday morning, and storm surge inundation roughly waist-deep was reported in parts of Charleston, South Carolina.

(MORE: Interactive Matthew Tracker Page)

Hurricane Matthew made landfall late Saturday morning southeast of McClellanville, South Carolina, as a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds.

Wind gusts over 80 mph were clocked along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts early Saturday. Parts of eastern Georgia and South Carolina have picked up over a foot of rain.

U.S. Storm Recap

Storm Surge

Saturday afternoon, water levels were topping 5 feet above normal at Oyster Landing, near Georgetown, South Carolina, and  and at Myrtle Beach. In southern North Carolina, water levels on the Cape Fear River at Wilmington shattered a record from Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

The Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach was heavily damaged, a section of the Oak Island (North Carolina) pier was also also damaged by waves, and the Jacksonville Beach pier was also damaged.

Saturday morning a storm surge of just under 8 feet was recorded at Ft. Pulaski, Georgia, between Savannah and Tybee Island, according to NOAA/National Ocean Service data. Fort Pulaski set a new record tide level of 12.57 ft MLLW (above normal low tide), which occurred two hours after high tide. This beads the old record going back to Hurricane David in 1979.

Tide levels at the Charleston Harbor also peaked at their third highest level on record with the early Saturday morning high tide, the highest levels, there, since Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and over a foot higher than the early October flood event. Water was entering homes on West Ashley in Charleston, according to the National Weather Service.

Early Friday evening, a peak surge of 9.88 feet above normal was measured at an NOS tide gauge at Fernandina Beach, Florida, the highest surge value we’ve seen so far from Matthew.

Early Friday afternoon, storm surge flooding affected the St. Augustine area, including major flooding on Anastasia Island where water was reported to be 2.5 feet above ground level. To the south in nearby Flagler Beach, Florida, parts of A1A were washed out by the storm surge.

 

The NWS-Jacksonville conducted a storm survey and found a new inlet was carved between Marineland and Matanzas Inlet, between Palm Coast and St. Augustine Beach, Florida.

The St. Johns River in northeast Florida reached its highest level on record at Shands Bridge, along with 3 to 4.3 feet of storm surge inundation reported at the Racy Point, Red Bay Point and I-295 Bridge tide gauges. As of early Saturday morning, the St. Johns River was flowing backwards.

Farther south, the storm surge peaked at roughly 4 feet at Trident Pier, near Cape Canaveral early Friday.

Wind Reports

Here are some of the top wind gust reports from Matthew, so far.

• Cape Canaveral, Florida: 107 mph (on an elevated tower at 54 feet above the ground)
• Tybee Island, Georgia: 96 mph
• Daytona Beach, Florida: 91 mph
• Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: 88 mph
• Jacksonville Area: 87 mph
• South Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida: 84 mph
• Beaufort, South Carolina: 83 mph
• Fort Pulaski, Georgia: 79 mph
• Folly Beach, South Carolina: 76 mph
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: 74 mph
• Savannah, Georgia: 71 mph
• Melbourne, Florida: 70 mph
• Charleston, South Carolina: 69 mph
• Florence, South Carolina: 67 mph
• Lumbertgon, North Carolina: 66 mph
• Fayetteville, North Carolina: 62 mph
• Sumter, South Carolina: 61 mph
• Orlando Area: Gusts over 60 mph

Interestingly, some of the strongest wind gusts in the Carolinas occurred after the center of Matthew passed by.

Rainfall Reports

Torrential rainfall spread well ahead to the north and northeast of Matthew into parts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, Saturday, triggering major flash flooding.

Here are some of the latest totals from Matthew as of Saturday evening, according to NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center:

• Savannah (Hunter U.S. Army Airfield), Georgia: 17.49 inches
• Fayetteville, North Carolina: 14.82 inches
• Beaufort, South Carolina: 14.04 inches
• Reevesville, South Carolina: 12.90 inches
• Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: 11.00 inches
• Charleston, South Carolina: 10.48 inches
• Folly Field, South Carolina: 9.82 inches
• Orlando, Florida (Sanford): 8.99 inches
• Jacksonville, Florida: 6.75 inches
• Hampton Roads, Virginia: 6.67 inches
• N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: 5.67 inches
• Daytona Beach, Florida: 5.29 inches

Savannah International Airport had their second wettest calendar-day rain on record dating to 1871 on October 7.

Among the notable rainfall flooding reports, included:

• Johnston County, North Carolina: Multiple water rescues; people trapped in homes, on top of vehicles
• Fayetteville, North Carolina: I-95 flooded
• Near Coats Crossroads, North Carolina: Six-mile stretch of Interstate 40 closed
• Raleigh, North Carolina: Several feet of water on Atlantic Avenue and Hodges Street
• Near Clarkton, North Carolina: Vehicle swept away in road washout; 2 killed
• Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Nash, Sampson, Wayne Counties, North Carolina: Numerous roads flooded and closed.
• Sellers, South Carolina: Cars, homes, town hall flooded
• Holly Hill, South Carolina: Water up to 3 feet deep flooded buildings.
• Near Cameron, South Carolina: Road washed out
• Columbia, South Carolina: Numerous roads closed due to flooding, downed powerlines, trees
• College Park, South Carolina: Water entering some homes

Caribbean and Bahamas Storm Reports, Recap

George F.L. Charles Airport on St. Lucia picked up 9.21 inches of rain Wednesday. On the south side of the island, Hewanorra Int’l Airport picked up 13.19 inches of rain in just 12 hours from 8 p.m. Wednesday through 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the Antigua Met Service.

A wind gust to 89 mph was reported in St. Pierre, Martinique, Wednesday evening. Some stations are elevated at 50 to 100 feet. Sustained winds of 39 mph were reported on the island of Barbados.

Matthew strengthened to a rare Category 5 late Friday evening, becoming the first Category 5 Atlantic basin hurricane since Hurricane Felix in early September 2007.

(MORE: Category 5 Hurricanes Prior to Matthew)

Hurricane Matthew became the fifth hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season early Thursday afternoon.

According to Colorado State University tropical scientist Dr. Phil Klotzbach, Matthew became the lowest latitude Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic on record (beating the old record set by Ivan in 2004).

Some outer rainbands triggered flash flooding in Jamaica Sunday, hundreds of miles away from the center of Matthew.

Interestingly Sunday night, a fortunately-placed NOAA buoy sampled Matthew’s eye, providing valuable information for meteorologists.

Hurricane Matthew’s eye first came ashore in the Greater Antilles in the western Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti near the town of Les Anglais around 7 a.m. EDT Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Matthew was the first Category 4 Haiti landfall since Hurricane Cleo in 1964, and only the fourth such intensity or stronger hurricane to track within 65 nautical miles of southern Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula since the 1960s, according to NOAA’s Best Tracks Database.

(MORE: Devastation in Haiti)

Hurricane Matthew made a second landfall near Juaco, Cuba, around 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday evening. October 4. An unconfirmed wind gusts to 155 mph was reported in the town of Baracoa, Cuba, in Matthew’s eyewall.

Radar from Guantanamo Bay Wednesday morning indicated Matthew’s eyewall had a sizable hole in its western side after passing over Cuba Tuesday night.

After passing Cuba, Matthew passed through the Bahamas.

Wednesday night, a 119 mph sustained wind was clocked at Exuma International Airport. Sustained winds over 100 mph were also clocked at George Town, also on Exuma.

Winds gusted to 85 mph in Nassau Thursday.

Radar indicates that Matthew made landfall along the western tip of Grand Bahama Island prior to 8 p.m. EDT with extremely high winds battering that island in the eyewall.

In the 9 p.m. hour on October 6, Grand Bahama reported a sustained wind of 64 mph.

Early Thursday evening, Freeport in the northwest Bahamas reported sustained winds of 100 mph with gusts up to 121 mph as the northern eyewall lashed the area.

In the Bahamas, Settlement Point reported sustained winds of 79 mph and gusts as high as 105 mph.

Matthew is first October Hurricane landfall north of Georgia since Hazel of ’54!

Saturday evening 8pm (UK time)

Hurricane Matthew is now a Category 1 storm and currently hammering the Carolinas with driving rain, hurricane-force wind and surge! Landfall occurred southeast of McClellanville, SC this afternoon

Main street in Myrtle Beach, SC is currently under water!

Significant damage caused to a balcony in Daytona Beach, FL.

SATURDAY 0300am (UK time)

Serious Situation Unfolding In Savannah tonight!

SAVANNAH, GA on track to surpass 80+ year old storm surge record.

CHARLESTON, SC Tide 3ft above normal at LOW TIDE, life-threatening flooding expected at high tide around 1am ET.

Significant damage in Vilano Beach, FL.

Now that Matthew is a Category 2 and has failed to make a US landfall, the incredible record streak of no MAJOR hurricane landfall continues at 4,001 days and counting!

FRIDAY 9.20pm (UK time)

BREAKING: DEATH TOLL IN HAITI SAID TO BE OVER 800 NOW!

According to Phil Klotzbach, Matthew becomes only the 2nd MAJOR Hurricane to track within 100 miles of Jacksonville. Dora sis it in 1964.

Sharks swimming the streets of Jacksonville, FL this afternoon!

7.40pm (UK time)

Downtown St Augustine, FL.

6.50pm (UK time)

Eye of Matthew remains perilously close to Florida coast.

St Augustine, FL.

Daytona Beach, FL this afternoon.

New surge record observed.

4.30pm (UK time)

HURRICANE WARNINGS extend north to North Carolina now.

Jacksonville, FL within the last hour.

Path of Matthew following closely to David of ’79 and Floyd of ’99.

2.30pm (UK time)

Watch: Hurricane Matthew update video!

Latest visible satellite.

Gas station in Daytona Beach all but wiped out!

11am (UK time)

Let’s not forget Haiti. This is what Matthew left behind!

Extreme wind warning for Cape Canaveral which is currently within the NW eye wall…

Wave & driving rain will ravage the coast!

Latest expert analysis from Levi Cowan

Tags: florida, hurricane matthew, hurricane matthew florida, hurricane matthew space coast