Hurricane Matthew (2016)

Hurricane Matthew was a devastating category 5 hurricane that tore through the Caribbean and the east coast of the United States during late September and early October 2016, claiming at least 609 lives, and causing $15.09 billion in damages.

The cyclone began life as a tropical wave that emerged from the coast of Africa on September 23. Moving westwards, it was slow to develop due to its rapid forward speed, until a recon flight at around 1500 UTC was able to confirm the existence of a closed low level circulation within the system, it was designated Tropical Storm Matthew.

Still struggling to maintain a low level circulation as shear increased over the system whilst nearing the Lesser Antilles, Matthew was slow to intensify, and by 1800 UTC the following day, the system had become a hurricane, and began what would eventually be described as being an impressive rate of intensification, which brought the system to category 5 strength by 0000 UTC on July 1 whilst the cyclone was located near the ABC Islands. During Matthew's impressive intensification, a band of intense, most likely supercellular in nature storms developed on the eastern side of the system, allowing for the hurricane to remain immune to shear. However, 12 hours later, Matthew began an eyewall replacement cycle that caused it to weaken to a category 4 hurricane, in which the system was able to maintain until landfall in Haiti on October 4.

After moving inland Haiti around 1200 UTC, Matthew succumbed to land interaction, and made landfall in Cuba around 2100 UTC as a mid end category 4, before weakening briefly to a category 3 hurricane as it passed through the Bahamas on October 6. Moving about 7 miles offshore Florida, much of the eyewall brought 100 mph+ wins to the Florida coastline, causing extensive damage in the process. on October 8, Matthew made landfall in South Carolina as a mid range category 1 hurricane, before turning extratropical the following day as it began to merge with another frontal system to its north.