On September 22, 2016 a tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa and quickly strengthened into a tropical storm on September 28, 2016. It was the 13th storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season and was named Matthew. On September 30, 2016, Hurricane Matthew became the first category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007.
Hurricane Matthew hit the island nations of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean, with destructive winds, heavy rains and storm surge. The storm’s track took it along the coast of the Southeast United States, before it made an official landfall in near McClellanville, South Carolina on October 8, 2016. Hurricane Matthew caused billions of dollars in damages, just in the U.S., and has been attributed to the deaths of over 1,000 people in all of the regions affected by the storm.
This lesson will explore the hazards associated with Hurricane Matthew and the impacts the storm had on the Southeastern United States.
Image Source: Matthew 2016-10-01 0225Z | WikiMedia
Average August Temperature: 64.5°F
Average August Rainfall: 0.04"
Can San Francisco Be Hit By a Hurricane? - No. The temperatures of ocean water along the West Coast are colder than the water of the Atlantic Ocean and hurricanes (also called tropical cyclones) need warm water to form. When they form in the tropical Pacific Ocean, they move away from the West Coast of the United States.
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Average August Temperature: 72.4°F
Average August Rainfall: 4.90"
Can Chicago Be Hit By a Hurricane? - No. No, Chicago is too far away from the ocean. When a hurricane moves over land it loses its strength. However, Chicago could get heavy rainfall that was once part of a hurricane.
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Average August Temperature: 83.3°F
Average August Rainfall: 5.98"
Can New Orleans Be Hit By a Hurricane? - Yes. When hurricanes (also called tropical cyclones) form in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, they move toward the United States. These storms can hit anywhere along the coast from Texas to Maine.
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