Tropical Storm — Florence, South Carolina

2016-10-08 to 2016-10-14 · Florence, South Carolina

Event narrative

Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts ranged from ten to nearly thirteen inches. A peak wind of 67 mph was reported at the Florence Regional Airport. Tropical storm force winds and flooded ground caused widespread tree and power line damage. There was widespread significant flooding from the heavy rain, with numerous water rescues performed. There were two fatalities due to vehicles being swept away in the rising waters. Moderate river flooding occurred on the Lynches and Pee Dee Rivers in central and eastern portions of the county. There were numerous reports of road washouts. Many roads were flooded in downtown Florence.

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 663955. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.