Hurricane (Typhoon) — Indian River, Florida

2016-10-06 to 2016-10-07 · Indian River, Florida

Event narrative

Major Hurricane Matthew passed nearly 35 miles offshore Indian River County during the early morning hours of October 7, producing a long duration of sustained tropical storm winds and a short period of frequent gusts to hurricane force along the coast from around Vero Beach northward. The highest sustained wind recorded at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport was 55 mph from the northwest at 0150LST on October 7 and the peak gust was 74 mph from the west at 0251LST. Wind damage occurred to more than two dozen homes, mainly a result of trees falling onto roofs. Three homes were destroyed, 15 sustained major damage, seven experienced minor damage and an additional seven homes were affected in some way. Other minor damage occurred to garage doors, car ports, fences and pool screen enclosures. Preliminary property damage was estimated at $15.8 million. A total of 1,297 residents evacuated to shelters within the county. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

Wider weather episode

Major Hurricane Matthew moved northwest from the eastern tip to Cuba, reaching the extreme western coast of Grand Bahama Island during the evening of October 6 at Category 4 strength. The hurricane continued northwest and was centered approximately 55 miles east of Stuart at 2300LST. Matthew then paralleled the Florida coast, remaining just offshore as a Category 3 hurricane. The eye reached its closest point of approach to land, only 25 miles east of Cape Canaveral near 0800LST on October 7, and was 35 miles east of Daytona Beach around 1100LST, as it continued moving northwest, just offshore the northeast Florida coast. Hurricane force winds (sustained or frequent gusts) affected coastal areas from Vero Beach northward, extending inland across the mainland portions of Brevard and Volusia Counties, with tropical storm force winds experienced across much of the remainder of east-central Florida. The strongest winds occurred along the coast from Cape Canaveral in Brevard County to north or Ormond-By-The-Sea in Volusia County, where Category 1-2 winds were likely experienced. Two direct hurricane-related fatalities and one direct injury occurred, in addition to nine indirect deaths. Preliminary damage estimates across east-central Florida exceeded $580 million, with $514 million reported in Volusia County alone.

A storm surge of 3-6 feet affected the beaches from near the Indian River/St. Lucie County line northward to the Volusia/Flagler County line, along with moderate to major beach erosion, with the highest surge (5-6 feet) and most significant erosion occurring north of Daytona Beach. Farther south, a surge of 2-3 feet occurred, along with minor to moderate beach erosion.

Rainfall totals reached 7-9 inches across parts of Seminole and Volusia Counties, where widespread flooding of streets and low-lying areas occurred. Elsewhere, rainfall totals were generally 2-6 inches, with isolated, minor flooding of poor drainage areas and standing water on roadways.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 661501. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.