As of today, Hurricane Matthew continues to move along the east coast. It has weakened significantly since its brief peak as category 5 on Sept 30th, and as of today sits as a category 2 hurricane. However, over the past few days Hurricane Matthew was able to break some notable hurricane records.
Category 5 Records
Hurricane Matthew was declared a category 5 hurricane on September 30th, breaking two records as a category 5 before weakening back down to a category 4 and making landfall in Haiti:
- Matthew became the first category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin in 9 years, with the last being Hurricane Felix in 1995.
- Matthew became the southernmost category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin, beating out Hurricane Ivan, the previous record holder.
Longest-Lived Records
- Hurricane Matthew is the longest-lived Category 4-5 hurricane in the Eastern Caribbean with 84+ hours. The last record holder was Hurricane Ivan in 2004 with 66 hours.
- Hurricane Matthew is the longest-lived Category 4-5 hurricane for the entire month of October.
- Hurricane Matthew is the longest-lived major hurricane(category 3 or higher) in the Atlantic Basin that formed after September 25th, with six and a half days.
Landfall in Haiti Record
- Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti at 6 am CDT, which was the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the country in 52 years.
Major Hurricane Landfall Drought Continues
The current major hurricane drought record goes unbroken after Matthew. A category 3 or higher hurricane, known as a major hurricane, has not made landfall in the United States since 2005. While the US has seen many notable hurricanes since, such as Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Ike, none have been over a category 3 while making landfall. There was a chance Hurricane Matthew was about to break this 10 year major hurricane drought. However, Matthew never made landfall along Florida while it was a category 3 or higher. Instead, the storm went parallel along the Florida shoreline. With the storm now at a category 2 and continuing to weaken, any landfall from here on out won’t be considered a major hurricane landfall. Thus, the record remains unbroken, and the major hurricane landfall drought continues.
