Tropical Storm Matthew (2010)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Matthew approaching Nicaragua on September 24
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| Formed | September 23, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 28, 2010 |
| (Remnant low after September 26) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 998 mbar (hPa); 29.47 inHg |
| Fatalities | 126 direct, 17 missing |
| Damage | $171.2 million (2010 USD) |
| Areas affected | Venezuela, Central America, Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti |
| Part of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Matthew was the fourth and deadliest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Central America during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Matthew, despite being a tropical storm, proved to be destructive. The fifteenth tropical cyclone and thirteenth named storm of the year, Matthew formed on September 23 and lost its tropical cyclone characteristics in the morning of September 26. However, its remnants continued to produce life-threatening rainfalls over parts of Central America as it dissipated.
Throughout Central and South America, torrential rain produced by Matthew triggered widespread flooding and landslides. Eight people were killed by the storm in Venezuela, and at least 100 people have been confirmed dead throughout Central America and southern Mexico. In Mexico, a massive landslide, roughly 200 ft (61 m) long, buried nearly 300 homes. Initially, officials feared hundreds of casualties, but the impact was much less fatal than expected.
The origins of Tropical Storm Matthew were from a tropical wave that emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on September 11. On the following day, that tropical wave contributed to the development of Hurricane Julia near Cape Verde. The southern portion of the system continued westward into the Atlantic with minimal development until September 20. After no further organization over the last eight days, convection associated with the tropical wave began to increase, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) first mentioned the wave as an area for potential tropical cyclogenesis on September 21, noting favorable environmental conditions. However, deep convection associated with the system remained disorganized, despite surface and air data indicating an organizing surface circulation. A low pressure area formed on September 22 near Curaçao in the south-central Caribbean Sea; at that point, the NHC assessed a high chance of tropical cyclone development. The thunderstorm activity remained disorganized, but on September 23 the convection increased and became better organized, and curved bands developed throughout the day. Late that day, a Hurricane Hunters flight into the system confirmed the development of a well-defined circulation, and the NHC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Fifteen about 485 mi (755 km) east of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. However, post-analysis indicated that the system had already been a tropical depression for six hours.
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