October 2016 Tropical Cyclones Report

North Atlantic

October produced two named storms in the Atlantic basin, Matthew and Nicole, both major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger). Matthew became the first Category 5 hurricane in the basin since Felix in September 2007. Matthew set a small number of superlatives for Atlantic tropical cyclones, particularly for October. This month marked the first October with two Category 4 or greater storms. Both storms made at least one landfall as major hurricanes, and both exhibited unusually rapid intensification at some point in their life cycle.

Significant Events

Matthew shortly before its Haitian landfall.
Source: NOAA's NNVL

Matthew formed in late September from a tropical wave of African origin, and was designated Tropical Storm Matthew on September 28^th, located near the Lesser Antilles. The storm intensified explosively in the final hours of September to become a Category 5 storm. Located less than 100 miles from the Guajira Peninsula of the South American mainland, Matthew became the southernmost Category 5 hurricane observed in the Atlantic basin. Matthew took a more northwesterly course, and made landfall as a major hurricane in Haiti, then Cuba, on October 4^th, followed by a Bahamian landfall at major hurricane strength near Freeport on the 6^th. On the 7^th and 8^th, Matthew skirted Florida's, then Georgia's Atlantic coasts before making landfall near Charleston, South Carolina as a Category 1 storm.

Matthew was a historic storm in several aspects. Its intensification from Category 1 to Category 5 strength in 24 hours is quite rare. It was a long-lived storm, particularly its seven-consecutive-day phase as a major hurricane. Matthew's several landfalls at major hurricane intensity were notable, and it was the first storm to make Haitian, Cuban and Bahamian landfalls as a Category 4 hurricane. Matthew caused fatalities on the South American mainland, the North American mainland, and on islands in the Caribbean. Haiti, in particular, suffered catastropic losses, with fatalities numbering over 1,000 and thousands of homes and buildings destroyed.

Hurricane Matthew Precipitation Totals
Source: NOAA's SERCC

While Matthew did not technically make U.S. landfall as a major hurricane, the center of circulation tracked within 20 miles of the Florida coast for several hours. Florida's Atlantic coast, particularly north of Palm Beach, experienced winds and storm surge similar to that of a landfalling hurricane. After several hours tracing along but just offshore of the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina coasts, Matthew made landfall near Charleston, S.C. late in the morning of October 8^th. Several tidal gauges in Northeast Florida and South Carolina set all-time records. Matthew's worst effects on the United States, by far, were related to extensive inland flooding brought about by the storm's heavy rains. Flooding was observed from Northeast Florida to Southeast Virginia, with a massive multi-day episode in eastern North Carolina, where up to and exceeding a foot of rain fell in many locations. About fifty persons were killed in the United States, primarily due to inland flooding, and largely in North Carolina. Moisture and storminess associated with Matthew's remnants fed high winds and heavy rains in New England and the Canadian Atlantic Provinces. Matthew will certainly be verified as a billion-dollar disaster for the United States.

Nicole formed several days later, and farther to the east, than Matthew, becoming a named storm on the morning of October 4^th. In the following days, it intensified quickly into a Category 2 hurricane, weakened to a marginal tropical storm, languished in the Sargasso Sea, then re-intensified to Category 4 strength. Nicole eventually made landfall on Bermuda as a Category 3 storm. While Bermuda sustained damage, the human toll was relatively light. Nicole was unique in several aspects. It was an extraordinarily long-lived storm, maintaining its tropical characteristics and named-storm strength throughout a 14-day period. Nicole, like Matthew underwent very rapid intensification over record-warm and near-record warm Atlantic waters. Despite being a relatively small storm for most of its life cycle, Nicole, like Matthew, grew to be a large storm.

East Pacific

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