11PM UPDATE: Matthew has weakened after interaction with Cuba with winds down to 130 mph. Hurricane Warning now in effect for parts of the Florida East Coast and Lake Okeechobee. Tropical Storm Warning for Miami-Dade to the Keys. Also includes Glades, Hendry and Inland Collier Co.
5PM UPDATE: Winds still at Cat 4 strength at 140. Moving N at 9. Pressure at 949 mb. Turn toward the northwest expected by Wednesday as high pressure over the Atlantic strengthens and builds westward. Track has been shifted back westward. Cone now covers the eastern portions of our area.
*TROPICAL STORM WATCH* now in effect for Glades, Hendry and Inland Collier as well as Lake Okeechobee. Tropical storm conditions are possible in these areas on Thursday into Friday as Matthew approaches. -Derek Beasley Fox 4
UPDATE (11AM) -- The 11 a.m. advisory for Hurricane Matthew: Max winds at 145. Moving north at 10mph. Pressure up to 950 mb. Forecast track remains mostly unchanged. The western edge of the cone has shifted east a bit but still brushes Glades and Hendry counties.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING: In effect for Lake Okeechobee and from the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys north to Deerfield Beach.
HURRICANE WATCH: In effect from Deerfield Beach north to the Volusia/Brevard county line.
Tropical storm conditions will be possible across portions of SWFL with the best chances for Glades and Hendry Co. including Clewiston, Lakeport, Buckhead Ridge and Moore Haven. Gusty winds will also be possible farther west across the rest of SWFL but the greatest potential for sustained tropical storm force winds will be across areas closest to Lake Okeechobee.
Expect conditions to begin going downhill across parts of south Florida as early as late Wednesday with the worst conditions occurring on Thursday as the storm moves by. The latest forecast track continues to keep the core of the storm just offshore but with an expansive tropical storm force wind field nearly 200 miles from the center, a large part of South Florida will experience at least tropical storm force gusts.
--Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley
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UPDATE (8AM) -- Hurricane Matthew remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 as it makes landfall near Les Anglais on the Tiburon Peninsula in Haiti. Forecast track remains relatively unchanged with the storm paralleling the Florida coast late Thursday through Friday as a Category 3.
Hurricane Watches will likely be issued for parts of the Treasure and Space Coasts later this morning or this afternoon.
Based on the current forecast track it appears that the strongest winds in SWFL will occur across DeSoto, Glades and Hendry Co with the potential for sustained tropical storm force winds as Matthew passes by. Farther west for Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Co., it will be breezy but winds in these areas will not be as strong being farther removed from the storm center.
SWFL will be on the dry side of the storm, so rain coverage will not be as extensive as farther east. Tornadoes will NOT be an issue for the same reason. Improving conditions are expected during the day Friday as the storm moves away.
--Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley
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The eye of Hurricane Matthew made landfall over the southwestern section of Haiti at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, at Les Anglais. A northerly track is expected to continue toward eastern Cuba later in the day. Devastating rain, winds, and storm surge are already pounding Haiti.
The general trend of the storm track continues shifting west, with the track now looking to skim Florida's east coast Thursday/Friday. If this western model trend continues, hurricane watches can be expected for Florida's east coast later Tuesday. Direct impacts still look minimal for southwest Florida moving forward, but plan for gusty winds as we close out this week and Matthew makes its way up the east coast.
No advisories were issued for Florida in the 8 a.m. update, but may be announced later Tuesday.
--Dani Beckstrom
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - The Latest on Hurricane Matthew (all times local):
6 a.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott will make several stops at emergency management offices in the Florida Keys, Daytona Beach and north Florida to give updates on Hurricane Matthew and the storm's potential impact on the state.
Scott will be in Marathon at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, before moving upstate in the afternoon.
The Category 4 storm's maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph (230 kph) as it crosses the southwest peninsula of Haiti, where it's bringing life-threatening rain, wind and storm surge.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says another landfall is expected in eastern Cuba. Forecasters say a tropical storm watch or hurricane watch is likely for parts of Florida later Tuesday.
Senior Hurricane Specialist Richard Pasch says Florida residents should remain vigilant because they can't "rule out the possibility of impacts."
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4 a.m.
A hurricane warning has been issued Tuesday morning for the northwest Bahamas as Hurricane Matthew continues its march up the Caribbean.
The hurricane warning in the Bahamas includes the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence.
In the meantime, Matthew's eye is nearing the southwest peninsula of Haiti, where it's bringing life-threatening rain, wind and storm surge.
The Category 4 storm's maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph (230 kph).
Heavy rain has also fallen on Jamaica and dangerous rainfall is a threat for the Dominican Republic, which adjoins Haiti.
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