Residents Julia Schittko and Nathan Ogdon walk along flooded Water Street in Wilmington, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 as Hurricane Matthew moves into the Carolinas. Matthew continued its march along the Atlantic coast Saturday, lashing two of the South’s most historic cities and some of its most popular resort islands, flattening trees, swamping streets and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Matthew has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it continues what appears to be the last leg of its march up the East Coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. ET Sunday update that the center of the storm was about 30 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and had sustained winds of about 75 mph (120 kpm).
The previous Category 5 hurricane had been weakening even as it lashed Georgia and the Carolinas on Saturday, leaving in its wake millions of Americans relieved that one of the most fearsome storms on record in the U.S. wasn’t that bad after all.
The hurricane was blamed for at least 10 deaths in the U.S., including that of a 68-year-old Georgia man who died when two trees fell on his home. And hundreds were left dead in Matthew’s wake in Haiti.
By Saturday night, North Carolina felt the brunt of Matthew, with more than a foot of rain falling in the southeastern part of the state, causing life-threatening flash flooding.
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
