Hurricane Matthew was one of the most destructive storms of the 2016 Atlantic season, causing widespread devastation across the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. The storm followed a path paralleling the U.S. East Coast, bringing immense impacts from Florida up to North Carolina. Matthew earned notoriety for its intensity and the catastrophic damage it inflicted.
Matthew’s Official Classification Near North Carolina
The exact category of Hurricane Matthew near North Carolina is complicated by the storm’s transition phase. Matthew made its final U.S. landfall near McClellanville, South Carolina, on October 8, 2016, as a Category 1 hurricane. As it tracked just offshore of North Carolina, the storm began extratropical transition, losing its tropical characteristics.
The closest approach to the North Carolina mainland was near Cape Fear on the afternoon and evening of October 8. Matthew was a weakening tropical cyclone with sustained winds barely at Category 1 strength. The National Hurricane Center officially declared the system a Post-Tropical Cyclone on the morning of October 9.
Wind speeds reported on the ground reflected this weakening status. Coastal areas like Wilmington and Jacksonville recorded maximum wind gusts of 70 to 72 miles per hour, consistent with a strong Tropical Storm. However, some areas on the Northern Outer Banks experienced gusts of 75 to 90 miles per hour, which are within the Category 1 range.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Explained
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies tropical cyclones based purely on the intensity of their sustained winds. This scale assigns a category number from 1 to 5 to hurricanes, estimating potential property damage. The scale does not account for other hazards like storm surge, rainfall flooding, or tornadoes.
A tropical cyclone is classified as a Tropical Storm once sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour, remaining so until winds reach 73 miles per hour. Once sustained wind speed reaches 74 miles per hour, the storm is officially designated a Category 1 hurricane (74 to 95 miles per hour). The scale continues upward, defining higher categories based on wind speed.
Saffir-Simpson Categories
- Category 2: 96 to 110 mph
- Category 3: 111 to 129 mph
- Category 4: 130 to 156 mph
- Category 5: 157 mph or higher
The Devastation Caused by Water
While the wind classification was minimal near North Carolina, the most catastrophic impact from Matthew was caused by water. The storm’s slow movement and interaction with a frontal boundary drew immense moisture over the state for an extended period. This resulted in historic and deadly inland flooding that defined the storm’s legacy in North Carolina.
Rainfall totals were staggering, with the highest amounts recorded inland rather than on the coast. Locations along the Interstate 95 corridor saw widespread totals between 12 and 18 inches. Specific reports included a maximum of 18.38 inches in Elizabethtown and 17.00 inches near Hope Mills.
This extreme rainfall fell onto ground already saturated from a heavy rain event only a week earlier. The resulting flash flooding and massive river crests caused a flood disaster not seen since Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Rivers like the Neuse, Cape Fear, and Lumber swelled to historic levels, surpassing the records set by Floyd. The widespread freshwater flooding closed hundreds of roads and was the cause of nearly all of the storm’s fatalities in the state.