Hurricane Matthew downgraded to Category 3, But Remains Dangerous

Hurricane Matthew downgraded to Category 3, But Remains Dangerous

Hurricane Matthew has been re-designated a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. As of 11:00 AM EST, October 7, 2016, the eye of Hurricane Matthew is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the north is expected tonight or Saturday.

On the current forecast track, the center of Matthew will continue to move near or over the coast of northeast Florida and Georgia through tonight, and near or over the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. Although weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, Matthew is expected to remain a hurricane until it begins to move away from the United States on Sunday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. A wind gust to 69 mph was recently reported at St. Augustine.

Public Advisories

Here’s the breakdown of public advisories from NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) in decreasing order of severity:

• Hurricane Warning:
  • Cocoa Beach, Florida to Surf City, North Carolina
• Hurricane Watch:
  • North Carolina – North of Surf City to Cape Lookout
• Tropical Storm Warning:
  • Florida – Sebastian Inlet to Cocoa Beach
  • North Carolina – North of Surf City to Duck, Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds

Evacuations and Emergency Declarations

• Emergencies declared in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina
• Florida: See evacuation zone here
• Georgia: See evacuation zone here
• South Carolina: See evacuation zone here

Related Stories

• NY Times regularly updated tracking of Hurricane Matthew: link
• Remember, Ready.gov provides information on how to prepare for a storm and how to keep you and your family safe: link
• Americares, a non-profit disaster relief and global health organization providing immediate response to emergency medical needs, has mobilized immediate response teams to provide care for Hurricane Matthew survivors: link

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