REPORTS: Matthew brings worst flooding in North Carolina since Floyd in 1999; At least 15 dead in US
Tropical Rainstorm Matthew will continue to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the mid-Atlantic coast Sunday before heading out to sea.
Widespread rain will continue to soak portions of the Delmarva Peninsula and New Jersey through Sunday afternoon and will be heavy enough to cause flooding.
Meanwhile, wind gusts up to 55 mph will still occur, especially along the mid-Atlantic Coast through Sunday afternoon. This will be strong enough to cause additional damage and power outages.
Hundreds of roads remain closed across the region from Matthew's record-setting rain, destructive winds and inundating storm surge.
Matthew carved a destructive path along the East Coast over the past few days as it churned northward from Florida to North Carolina. Storm surge and heavy rain combined to create catastrophic flooding while hurricane-force wind gusts tore roofs of buildings and brought down trees and power lines.
There have been at least 15 fatalities related to Matthew in the United States, according to the Associated Press.
As of 11:30 a.m. EDT Sunday, this story is no longer featuring live updates.
As of 11:15 am EDT Sunday, numerous roads are close near Snow Hill, Maryland due to flooding, according to an emergency manager. High water has also closed roads near Showell, Maryland. Heavy rain will continue for a few more hours across the Delmarva Peninsula and New Jersey.
Moisture from Tropical Rainstorm Matthew continues to soak portions of the Delmarva Peninsula and New Jersey Sunday morning.
Matthew became a hurricane at 2 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Sept. 29. As of 5 a.m. EDT, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, Matthew is no longer classified as a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center. However, this storm will continue to bring heavy rain and high winds to parts of Virginia and North Carolina through Sunday morning. Rain will exit the southern mid-Atlantic and winds will decrease later on Sunday. Life-threatening flooding and the risk for more wind damage will continue through Sunday morning.
A life-threatening situation continues across southeastern Virginia on Saturday night with over 10 inches of rain measured as of 1 a.m. EDT Sunday. The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Heavy rain will continue to fall through Saturday night and some areas will likely receive a storm total rainfall of over a foot. In addition to the rain, winds will gust at 60-70 mph across extreme southeastern Virginia. The strong winds will down trees and power lines.
Flooding rain from Hurricane Matthew has lifted into parts of southeastern Virginia.
Over 6 inches of rain has fallen around Norfolk, Virginia, in just four hours, prompting flash flood warnings and road closures. Several more inches of rain is expected to fall thought Saturday night, resulting in widespread flooding across the area.
Rain from Matthew has come to an end across most of South Carolina and is starting to taper off in far southern North Carolina. This includes Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina.
Despite the rain ending, gusty winds may still cause property damage and additional power outages.
Hundreds of roads across the region are closed due to flooding or debris, making travel extremely difficult. People should not try to drive in these areas until flood waters recede and crews can safely clean up the debris left behind by Matthew.
The heaviest rain from Hurricane Matthew has departed South Carolina, but continues to soak much of central and eastern portions of North Carolina.
Flooding rain has led to more than 50 water rescues around Fayetteville, North Carolina, with the city picking up over a foot of rain in the past 24 hours.
The flooding downpours have caused parts of Interstate 95 to be shut down around Fayetteville.
As of 5 p.m. EDT there are more than 369,000 North Carolina residents without power.
In the city of North Charleston, South Carolina, there are at least 125 damaged homes based on initial assessments, officials said.
Flood damage also occurred around the city of Myrtle Beach, officials reported on the town's official Facebook page.
Life-threatening flooding will continue across the Carolinas through Saturday night as heavy rain from Matthew persists across the states.
Flooding has led to widespread road closures in both North Carolina and South Carolina, making travel nearly impossible in some communities.
Some locations have received more than a month's worth of rain in less than 24 hours.
The heavy rain has caused Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Charlotte, North Carolina, to be rescheduled to noon on Sunday. The NASCAR XFINITY Series race, originally scheduled for Friday, will also take place on Sunday following the Sprint Cup race.
The death toll from Hurricane Matthew has risen to at least 10 in the United States.
The fatalities have been reported across Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, according to the Associated Press.
Two of the fatalities in North Carolina occurred when a car was swept away in flood waters near the town of Clarkton.
Have pictures of Hurricane Matthew damage or preparations? Click on the picture below to submit your photo, but please be safe when taking pictures.
Over 1.4 million people are without power across the southeastern United States due to Hurricane Matthew, with power outages from Florida to North Carolina.
Charleston, South Carolina, is experiencing some of the worst conditions this afternoon with areas of the city underwater due to torrential rain and inundating storm surge.
Early on Saturday afternoon, Charleston’s airport recorded sustained winds around 50 mph with a peak wind gust of 70 mph.
Flooding has also become widespread in North Carolina as heavy rain from Matthew shifts northward.
Fayetteville, North Carolina, has been one of the harder-hit areas in the state with the city receiving over 5 inches of rain in under six hours. This flooding rain has led to at least eight water rescues in the area.
As of 12:56 p.m. EDT, over 92,000 people are without electricity in Charleston, South Carolina. Measurements at Charleston International Airport show winds gusting between 55 and 62 mph over the past few hours.
Around 11:22 a.m. EDT, a funnel cloud was reported by law enforcement at Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Rain bands associated with Matthew will continue to impact the Carolinas. There can be a couple tornadoes today.
Hurricane Matthew officially made landfall southeast of McClellanville, South Carolina, around 11:00 a.m. EDT Saturday. Data suggests the center of circulation had crossed the coast near the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
A rescue takes place in North Charleston, South Carolina as flooding rain and surge leaves people trapped in their home.
Matthew continues to bring life-threatening floods to parts of the Carolinas. This video was captured in Vance, South Carolina.
Hurricane Matthew was downgraded to a Category 1 storm on Saturday morning. As of 9:30 a.m. EDT, the system had maximum-sustained winds of 75 mph and wind gusts as high as 85 mph. “Despite weakening to a Category 1 hurricane, Matthew will continue to pose life-threatening flooding, surge and wind gusts to the Carolinas through Sunday morning," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said.
As of 9:02 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Charleston, South Carolina, has received 10.00 inches of rain from Hurricane Matthew. Flooding and high surge continues to threaten the area along with gusty winds.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is advising that residents stay indoors on Saturday morning in order to allow emergency and power crews to address "immediate needs."
As of 7:10 a.m. EDT on Saturday, the South Carolina Department of Transportation was reporting fallen trees blocking all lanes of I-95 in several locations across Jasper and Colleton counties.
As of 6:05 a.m. EDT on Saturday, power supplier SCE&G reported that over 108,000 outages were occurring across South Carolina. Beaufort and Charleston counties were experiencing the highest number of outages with over 40,000 and 31,000, respectively.
As of 5 a.m. EDT on Saturday, the center of Hurricane Matthew was about 20 miles southeast of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and a gust of 94 mph was measured on Tybee Island, Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. A gust of 83 mph was measured at Hilton Head Airport around 4:24 a.m. EDT.
Hurricane-force wind gusts past 75 mph will continue for several more hours along the southern coast of South Carolina as the eye moves parallel to the coast just offshore. Widespread damage to trees and power lines is likely and there can be some damage to structures.
As of 3 a.m. EDT on Saturday, the center of Hurricane Matthew was 35 miles south of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and it is moving north at 13 mph. On Tybee Island, Georgia, a wind gust of 80 mph was measured at around 2:43 a.m. EDT, according the National Weather Service. As the center of Matthew approaches the coast of South Carolina, wind gusts of 70-80 mph, perhaps higher, are expected over the next few hours south of Charleston, South Carolina.
High tide at Fort Pulaski, Georgia, near the border with South Carolina is at 1:22 a.m. EDT on Saturday and water levels are approaching 7 feet above mean sea level. Severe coastal flooding along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina will continue overnight on Friday night as the approach of Hurricane Matthew is in conjunction with high tide.
Hurricane Matthew has brought record rainfall to the Jacksonville area with the city receiving over 6 inches of rain through 9 p.m. on Friday. This makes Friday the fifth wettest October day on record for the city and nearly double of what the city typically has during the entire month of October.
This record-setting rain from Matthew has caused the St. John River near Jacksonville to surpass record levels.
Matthew's storm surge helped wash away a portion of Florida State Road A1A in Flagler County. Officials announced that they are cutting off all access to beachside portions of the county.
“We don’t want anyone on the beachside who doesn’t need to be there,” Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey said in a statement. “We need to be able to get an assist to those people who are in the most need.”
Many roads remain flooded in the town of St. Augustine:
The death toll from Hurricane Matthew has risen to four in Florida.
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced Friday evening that it is investigating a death in the Crescent City area after a tree fell on a camper.
"Upon arrival, deputies discovered that two adults were attempting to ride out the storm in the trailer when the tree fell due to high winds," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "The male occupant was able to escape with only minor injuries, but the female was killed."
A woman in her early 60s was killed by a falling tree around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, according to Volusia County Emergency Management.
Two other fatalities were reported in St. Lucie County early Friday morning.
The upcoming launch of GOES-R, NOAA’s next-generation weather satellite, may be delayed a few days due to the effects of Hurricane Matthew.
The $1.2 billion weather satellite is safe and unharmed from the storm, but the weather is delaying the arrival of the rocket booster sending it into space.
United Launch Alliance, the company that manufactures the Atlas V rocket that will be used to launch GOES-R, confirmed on Twitter that the launch may be delayed a few days. A new launch date has not been determined yet.
Matthew's power is seen in the video below as this tree is uprooted in the Southside neighborhood of Jacksonville.
Matthew weakened to a Category 2 hurricane shortly before 5 p.m. EDT. The storm is still expected to bring life-threatening impacts to parts of the Southeast coast through the weekend.
President Obama has declared a state of emergency for North Carolina. The president had previously declared states of emergency in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia, earlier in the week.
The death toll in Florida has risen to at least two as St. Lucie County Fire District officials confirmed the death of an elderly male, the second victim of Hurricane Matthew in the county.
"A call came in at 3:26 a.m., regarding an 82-year-old male, not conscious and breathing with difficulty," officials said. "When it was deemed safe for emergency vehicles to travel it was reported to first responders that the patient had been taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle. St. Lucie County Fire District was later informed that the patient had died."
The other victim was a 58-year-old woman who suffered cardiac arrest. Emergency responders had to suspend operations and could not get to the person in time.
This footage shows significant storm surge ongoing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is urging residents to remain indoors as conditions are expected to worsen. Officers are distributing sandbags to combat flooding around Jacksonville.
The Florida division of emergency management now reports over 1 million people without power in the state.
Hurricane Matthew has killed one person in the U.S., St. Lucie County, Florida, sheriff confirmed. Emergency officials suspended operations and could not get to the person. The St. Lucie Fire Department said the victim, a woman in her late 50s, was having a cardiac arrest. The fire department said crews could not respond safely because wind gusts were at 68 mph. The woman died by the time crews arrived. Power outages, flooding and strong winds will continue to disrupt the East Coast. Potentially life-threatening storm surge is a major concern.
“You have to take every storm seriously, we’re not through this yet, we still have half the state to go through,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said. Meanwhile, North Carolina officials continue to prepare for the worst in terms of rain and wind from the hurricane. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory warned residents to be ready with supplies to ride out the storm safely in a press conference on Friday.
“The main message I want to get to the people of North Carolina, especially southeastern North Carolina, is don’t let up your guard,” McCrory said. “Prepare for potential electric outages. Prepare for potential flooding. Make sure you have batteries, flashlights and sufficient food and, just in case, there is an evacuation be prepared for that. Don’t wait until the last second.”
Seas are pummeling St. Augustine, Florida, just south of Jacksonville.
According to a local reporter for Action News, multiple people are stuck in a bed and breakfast:
Intense winds and damaging storm surge continues to slam the Daytona Beach, Florida, area.
AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist and Storm Chaser Reed Timmer reports flooding and widespread wind damage in the area.
High winds sent seas crashing inland in St. Augustine, Florida.
More than 27,000 people spent Thursday night in a Red Cross shelter along the East Coast, the organization reported.
Officials in northern Florida are urging anyone in an evacuation zone who has yet to move to do so quickly.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory urged citizens to take Hurricane Matthew warnings seriously.
“The main message I want to get to the people of North Carolina, especially southeastern North Carolina, is don’t let up your guard, prepare for potential electric outages, prepare for potential flooding, make sure you have batteries, flashlights and sufficient food and just in case there is an evacuation be prepared for that, don’t wait until the last second," he said during a press conference.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said roughly 600,000 people are still without power across Florida.
As the hurricane advances northward, officials are concerned about damage in Daytona Beach and the Jacksonville area.
Gov. Scott said he has asked for tarps, food, water and generators from the federal government.
Strong winds have already begun to cause damage in Daytona Beach, according to local media:
One person has been killed in the U.S. as a result of the hurricane, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's office said on Friday morning, according to ABC News. A person died overnight as emergency officials were unable to reach them.
Have pictures of Hurricane Matthew damage or preparations? Click on the picture below to submit your photo, but please be safe when taking pictures.
According to local TV station WESH, people in Brevard County, Florida, who ignored evacuation warnings are now calling for help. Until conditions improve, they have been told to stay put before first responders can move out.
The Associated Press reported that the emergency operations center in Brevard County lost power and is operating on a backup generator.
Matthew is bearing down on Florida early Friday morning. A wind gust of 107 mph was reported on the tip of Cape Canaveral around 7 a.m. EDT.
Strong winds have knocked out power to hundreds of thousands in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said.
Thousands of flights have been canceled.
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