Hurricane (Typhoon) — Coastal Georgetown, South Carolina

2016-10-08 to 2016-10-09 · Coastal Georgetown, South Carolina

Event narrative

Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts were less in Georgetown county than most of the region, averaging over five inches. There were isolated areas in the north portion of the county near eight inches. A peak wind of 75 mph was recorded in the town of Georgetown. Wind gusts to hurricane strength and flooded ground caused widespread tree and power line damage. There was moderate river flooding near the Black River and the Pee Dee River. Portions of downtown Georgetown were flooded. Numerous road closures were reported. Some evacuations were necessary in parts of the county. Storm surge caused major erosion at Oyster Landing. Georgetown County Emergency Management calculated more than 34 million dollars in property damage across the county. In total, more than one thousand homes and businesses sustained damage. Of these, 5 structures were totally destroyed and 54 sustained major damage. Forty-eight roadways were closed due to flood 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 663945. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.