Hurricane Matthew was a powerful, long-lived and deadly tropical cyclone which b

ecame the first Category 5 Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Felix in 2007. The
thirteenth named storm, fifth hurricane and second major hurricane of the activ
e 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, Matthew wrought widespread destruction and cat
astrophic loss of life during its journey across the Western Atlantic, including
parts of Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Lucayan Archipelago, the southeast
ern United States, and the Canadian Maritimes. At least 518 confirmed deaths hav
e been attributed to the storm, including 473 in Haiti, 1 in Colombia, 4 in the
Dominican Republic, 1 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and 39 in the United S
tates, making it the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Stan in 2005, which kill
ed more than 1,600 in Central America and Mexico. With the storm causing damages
estimated in excess of US$5.2 billion, it was also the costliest Atlantic hurri
cane since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Originating from a tropical wave that emerged off Africa on September 22, Matthe
w developed into a strong tropical storm upon approaching the Windward Islands o
n September 28. A period of explosive intensification ensued as the cyclone trac
ked across the Caribbean Sea; Matthew became a hurricane on September 29 and rea
ched Category 5 intensity the following day at a record-low latitude. Only sligh
t weakening followed as Matthew curved slowly towards the north, remaining a str
ong Category 4 hurricanes; early on October 4, Matthew made landfall on the Tibu
ron Peninsula of Haiti. The tropical cyclone briefly emerged into the Gulf of Go
nve and Windward Passage before making a second landfall on the eastern tip of Cu
ba. Land interaction helped to weaken the storm, though subsequent strengthening
allowed Matthew to regain Category 4 intensity over the Bahamas. Between Octobe
r 7 8, Matthew gradually weakened as it paralleled the coast of the southeastern U
nited States, remaining just offshore before making landfall in South Carolina a
s a low-end hurricane. Matthew emerged into the Atlantic shortly afterwards, com
pleting a transition into an extratropical cyclone on October 9.
Heavy rains and strong winds buffeted the Lesser Antilles as Matthew entered the
Caribbean Sea as a strong tropical storm. The winds caused widespread power out
ages and damaged crops, particularly in St. Lucia, while flooding and landslides
caused by the rainfall damaged many homes and roads. The storm's unusually low
latitude resulted in widespread flash flooding on the Guajira Peninsula, which s
aw its first heavy rain event in three years. Extensive preparations took place
in Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola as the strong hurricane approached, including t
he opening of numerous shelters and the evacuation of roughly 1 million people i
n Cuba. Although Jamaica avoided significant impacts, Haiti experienced major im
pacts, including more than US$1 billion in damage and at least 1,000 deaths. The
combination of flooding and high winds disrupted telecommunications and destroy
ed extensive swaths of land; around 80% of Jrmie sustained significant damage. Hea
vy rainfall spread eastward across the Dominican Republic, where four were kille
d. Effects in Cuba were most severe along the coast, where storm surge caused ex
tensive damage in Guantnamo Province.
Passing through the Bahamas as a major hurricane, Matthew inflicted severe impac
ts across several islands, particularly Grand Bahama, where an estimated 95% of
homes sustained damage in the townships of Eight Mile Rock and Holmes Rock. Prep
arations began in earnest across the southeastern United States as Matthew appro
ached, with several states declaring a state of emergency for either entire stat
es or coastal counties; widespread evacuations were ordered for extensive areas
of the coast. In Florida, over 1 million lost power as the storm passed to the e
ast, with 478,000 losing power in Georgia and South Carolina. While damage was p
rimarily confined to the coast in the Florida and Georgia, torrential rains spre
ad inland in the Carolinas and Virginia, causing widespread flooding.
NASA released space view of the Hurricane Matthew[1] captured by Global Precipit
ation Measurement Mission satellite from aboard International Space Station .