Hurricane Matthew leaves swath of destruction, but finally veering to the east

What’s left of Hurricane Matthew finally made a turn east forecasters expected, but it was long after they believed it happen.

At 5 a.m. Sunday, Post-Tropical Cyclone Matthew was about 30 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Eastern North Carolina was still experiencing some of those gusts this morning as the storm meandered off to the east/northeast at 14 mph.

Matthew’s track north left a trail of damage in its wake, from the Georgia-South Carolina line to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

The Myrtle Beach area lost a major portion of the Springmaid Pier, and the Surfside Pier, Apache Pier and Second Avenue Pier were also damaged. Power lines and phone lines were down throughout the area, leaving nearly 200,000 without power in Horry and Georgetown counties.

Widespread flooding was also prevalent throughout the area, and more devastating flooding is expected throughout the week as the Waccamaw River is expected to hit major flood stage tonight, and crest at more than 16 feet – 5 feet above flood stage – later this week.

Today, winds gusts up to 40 mph could be felt around the Grand Strand, with the temperature expected to be about 73 and no chance of rain. Sunshine will return Monday, but much cooler temperatures, with a high in the upper 60s.

Check back with MyrtleBeachOnline.com as we have more on the day after the storm, recovery efforts and more.

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 5:47 AM with the headline "Hurricane Matthew leaves swath of destruction, but finally veering to the east."