We’re wrapping up our live coverage of hurricane Matthew’s wrath.
For the latest read my colleague Richard Luscombe’s wrap:
Matthew crosses the coast
Hurricane Matthew has made landfall southeast of McClellanville in South Carolina. The storm has caused a “serious inland flooding event”, the National Hurricane Center has warned.
Summary
Here’s the state of play with hurricane Matthew:
- The death toll from the hurricane in Haiti has more than doubled to almost 900 people, with at least four deaths in Florida.
- The storm has weakened to a category 1 - the least severe - but storm surges and high winds are still hitting North and South Carolina and Georgia. Up to 15 inches (40 cm) of rain is expected to fall in some areas, along with massive storm surges and high tides. About 8 inches (20cm) of rain has fallen in the Savannah, Georgia area, resulting in flooding as well as downed trees.
- The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to cross the coast later on Saturday: “Regardless of whether or not the center makes landfall, hurricane-force winds in the northern eyewall will lash much of the coast of South Carolina.”
- Nearly 1.5m million homes in three states are without power.
Although the winds have dropped, Matthew is still posing a serious threat to coastal areas in North and South Carolina and Georgia.
#HurricaneMatthew weakens, still major threat to Georgia and Carolinas. Eyewall impacting #Charleston, SC https://t.co/SAKTqrv2ob pic.twitter.com/m3dOscvtTr
— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) October 8, 2016
Yesterday and right now. The Battery, Charleston South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/TGjZTTM40G
— Mark Sudduth (@hurricanetrack) October 8, 2016
Matthew is centred about 30 miles southeast of Charleston and moving at 12mph. Its winds have fallen to 75mph, down from 145 mph.
Among the centres braced for the storm later on Saturday include Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina.
Matthew brought some of the highest tides on record along the South Carolina coast. Streets and intersections in historic Charleston - a city of handsome pre-Civil War homes, church steeples and romantic carriage rides - were flooded.
Hurricane Matthew’s fury was being felt on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, where power was out and the two roads on to the resort island were blocked by trees.
Water swamped roads in many areas, and there was extensive damage - much of it from the island’s well-known pine trees.
Chandler Brunson and her fiance were among several of the island’s 40,000 residents trying to make it back home after they evacuated. Brunson tried several routes to reach her house, but all were blocked: “I think we’re going to have a pine tree splitting our house - that’s what I’m afraid of.”
Emergency officials left the island on Friday afternoon and had not returned by mid-morning on Saturday.
Updated
Conditions may be worsening in North Charleston judging by this tweet from the city’s administration.
We have temporarily suspended emergency services. STAY AT HOME. #chswx #chstrfc #HurricaneMatthew
— North Charleston (@NorthCharleston) October 8, 2016
North Carolina governor Pat McCrory tweets:
As soon #HurricaneMatthew turned inward, it downgraded with wind but upgraded with volume of water. #MatthewNC
— NC Governor's Office (@GovOfficeNC) October 8, 2016
Every attraction in central Florida, except the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex, is expected to re-open today, the Disney Blog reports. The Disney parks, SeaWorld, Legoland and Universal Orlando are all open on Saturday.
Kennedy Space Center, on Cape Canaveral, is one area that experienced high winds. It suffered some roof damage, but “dodged a bullet” and is expected to open again on Sunday.
Oxfam has set up a Haiti hurricane appeal.
The charity says it urgently needs donations to help those worst affected by Matthew - one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent years. “Thousands of people have lost their homes, hundreds have been killed and the number of deaths is likely to rise,” Oxfam says.
It is delivering water purification kits and construction materials to the stricken nation.
Matthew weakens to Category 1 storm
Hurricane Matthew has weakened to a Category 1 storm but still remains a threat to the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm was centered about 20 miles (30km) south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Its maximum winds have dropped to 85mph (140kmh), with hurricane-force winds extending up to 45 miles (75km) from the centre.
Matthew’s strong winds and storm surge were battering the South Carolina coast on Saturday, with heavy rain and high winds spreading inland.
The storm’s centre is expected to be near the coast of southern North Carolina by Saturday night US time.
Updated
Matthew heads for land
The National Hurricane Center said wind gusts had reached 80mph (130kmh) in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and predicted the storm could strike the coast on Saturday morning or afternoon US time.
“Regardless of whether or not the center makes landfall, hurricane-force winds in the northern eyewall will lash much of the coast of South Carolina,” the NHC said.
The storm battered the Florida coast with winds of up to 120mph (195kmh), but did not make landfall there. The storm is a category 2 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with category 5 the highest.
Updated
WCIV in Charleston reports that much of the city’s old town has been flooded overnight.
VIDEO: Historic Charleston flooded as Hurricane Matthew churns 30 miles SSW https://t.co/WZgqI2beCm #chsnews
— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) October 8, 2016
The Weather Channel tweets:
#Tornado watch has been issued until 4pm EDT for portions of coastal North Carolina and northeast South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/X2XK0lD1gZ
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) October 8, 2016
NBC News has live radar images of hurricane Matthew here.
The wrath of Matthew is summed up in this moving image captured by photographer Bahare Khodabande.
Summary
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Hurricane Matthew. Here’s what we know right now:
- Almost 900 people have been killed - mostly in Haiti, where the death toll is expected to keep rising as isolated areas are reached
- Wind gusts above 90mph and storm surges of up to 4.8ft have been reported in Georgia and South Carolina
- The eye of the storm is about 20 miles south-southeast of Hilton Head, South Carolina and is moving northward at 12 mph, with 105mph winds
- Matthew is expected to make landfall on the North Carolina coast on Saturday night
- Evacuations, power failures and flooding have affected four US states
