9AM UPDATE SATURDAY: Matthew now has winds of 75 mph. Moving NE at 12 positioned about 30 mi SE of Charleston SC. Hurricane force winds are occurring across coastal South Carolina with tropical storm force wind gusts well inland.
8AM UPDATE SATURDAY: Matthew now has winds of 85 mph. Moving NE at 12 positioned about 20 mi SSE of Charleston SC. Hurricane force winds are occurring across coastal South Carolina with tropical storm force wind gusts well inland.
11PM UPDATE -- Hurricane Matthew continues up the coast of Florida with wind speeds of 105 mph. The storm is now 115 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.
5PM UPDATE -- Hurricane Matthew continues it's track up Florida's east coast as a category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 mph.
2PM UPDATE -- Hurricane Matthew continues its track up Florida's east coast as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds. Gradual weakening is expected within the next 24-48 hours as the storm hugs the coast of GA and the Carolinas.
Currently, Hurricane Matthew is located just to the northeast of Daytona Beach, moving around 13mph. This current forward speed puts Matthew just off the coast of Jacksonville this afternoon. Matthew is expected to remain a Category 3 storm through the rest of the day.
The biggest hazards are still the damaging wind speeds and high storm surge expected on the east coast of the state. At this point, storm surge could be anywhere from 2-12 feet as Matthew tracks up the coast.
Southwest Florida's weather will not be impacted by Matthew moving forward. There are no watches or warnings in effect for Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Glades, or Hendry counties.
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8AM UPDATE-- Hurricane Matthew is currently located 45 miles southeast of Daytona Beach, Florida, with the eyewall currently passing through Cape Canaveral with sustained winds 70-80mph and gusts exceeding 100mph. Matthew will continue to hug the coastline as it makes its track up Florida's east coast, still moving around 13mph.
Matthew is still classified as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds at 120mph and gusts to 150mph. Additional weakening is expected in the next 2 days, although Matthew is expected to stay a Category 3 as it reaches the Florida/Georgia line. At this point the official track keeps the core of the storm offshore, although not far off.
No Tropical Storm Warnings or Watches are currently in effect for southwest Florida.
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5AM UPDATE-- Hurricane Matthew continues to track up Florida's east coast as a Category 3 storm with 120MPH winds. So far, the eye of Hurricane Matthew has stayed offshore, but the center is now tracking dangerously close to the coastline and is sending hurricane force winds on land near Melbourne and Cape Canaveral.
The general path will continue north/northwest today, currently moving around 13mph. Matthew will continue on this path and is expected to head toward Jacksonville and the Florida/Georgia line this evening, still as a Category 3 storm.
The Tropical Storm Warnings for Glades and Hendry counties have been dropped, with Tropical Storm-force winds no longer a threat. The Tropical Storm Watch is no longer in effect for Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. Conditions in southwest Florida will stay breezy today, but overall improving as we head into this afternoon and this evening.
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2AM UPDATE -- The eye of the extremely dangerous Hurricane Matthew is moving closer to the east coast of Florida, and has weakened to a Category 3 storm.
As of 2 a.m., the storm is about 45 miles east of Vero Beach, Florida, and about 80 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral.
Maximum sustained winds are 120 mph, with present movement northwest at 14 mph.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:
- Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Povidence.
- Boca Raton to South Santee River, South Carolina
- Lake Okeechobee
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- Ocean Reef on Key Largo to south of Boca Raton
- Anclote River to Suwannee River
- North of South Santee River to Surf City
A Tropical Storm watch is in effect for:
- Englewood to Anclote River
A turn toward the north-northwest is expected later today, and a turn toward the north is expected Friday night or Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Matthew will be moving near or over the east coast of the Florida peninsula through Friday night, and near or over the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina on Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 120 mph with higher gusts. Although some additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, Matthew is expected to be a powerful category 3 hurricane as it moves near the coast of Florida.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. During the past hour, a wind gust to 70 mph was reported at Vero Beach, Florida, and a gust to 60 mph occurred at Melbourne, Florida.
Hurricane conditions are expected to first reach the hurricane warning area in Florida during the next several hours and will spread northward within the warning area through Friday. Tropical storm conditions will continue to spread northward in the warning area along the Florida east coast Friday.
8AM UPDATE SATURDAY: Matthew now has winds of 85 mph. Moving NE at 12 positioned about 20 mi SSE of Charleston SC. Hurricane force winds are occurring across coastal South Carolina with tropical storm force wind gusts well inland.
