Hurricane (Typhoon) — Inland Horry, South Carolina

2016-10-08 to 2016-10-25 · Inland Horry, South Carolina

Event narrative

Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts were high, with over a foot of rain reported in many areas. A peak wind of 74 mph was reported at the Myrtle Beach Airport, with 70 mph measured at the North Myrtle Beach Airport. Wind gusts to hurricane strength and flooded ground caused widespread tree and power line damage. There were numerous reports of trees down across roads, hampering emergency responder's efforts. Structural damage included the loss of siding and shingles to many homes. Major river flooding occurred due to the crests of the Waccamaw and Little Pee Dee rivers. More than 170 roads in the county were closed. Over 1000 residents of the county required shelter. The Conway-Horry county airport was flooded. A section of the Pee Dee highway was washed out. The Waccamaw crest at Conway set a new record, eclipsing the flood of 1928. Large portions of the Socastee became submerged. Evacuations were conducted in the Bucksport Community. Flood damage was no less than incredible. Horry County Emergency Management calculated more than 67 million dollars in damage across the county.

Wider weather episode

Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast. The hurricane brought 6 to 12 inches of rain and up to 15 inches to some areas of northeast South Carolina, with the bulk of the rainfall occurring within a 12 hour period. This rain fell on wet to in some cases saturated soil due to much above normal rainfall in September. The result was historic flooding; widespread flash flooding, and an extended period of major to record river flooding. Matthew's flooding rains, surge and wind brought loss of life, displaced tens of thousands of people, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in structural damage as homes and businesses were devastated or totally destroyed. Major infrastructure will have to be repaired or rebuilt.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 663941. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.