Hurricane Matthew is on the move, and South Florida needs to complete preparations Wednesday night. Matthew’s faster forward speed and relatively early turn to the northwest has cut the amount of time the Upper Keys, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach will have before very gusty winds arrive — making it too dangerous to climb a ladder to put up shutters or to drive on expressway overpasses or bridges.
Matthew remains a powerful hurricane and is forecast to regain category 4 strength over the Bahamas. At 5 pm Wednesday, Matthew was located near 22.5 North, 75.7 West, or 400 miles southeast of West Palm Beach. It was moving northwest at 12 miles per hour, and maximum sustained winds were 120 miles per hour.
As it stands now, strong wind gusts and heavy rain from Matthew’s feeder bands could arrive along the east coast Thursday morning — a bit sooner than if the hurricane had maintained its old 10-miles-per-hour pace. Expect sustained tropical storm force winds by early afternoon, and hurricane force gusts are possible, especially in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Thursday night. Conditions will remain hazardous until late morning or early afternoon on Friday.
Again, everyone in the areas covered by a hurricane warning or tropical storm warning — ALL of South Florida except Naples, Marco Island, and the Lower Keys — should finish all preparations as soon as possible. Waiting for Thursday morning will be too late!
People living on the islands along the Florida coast, as well as anyone in low lying areas, are asked to voluntarily evacuate. There are some locations on the barrier islands where mandatory evacuations have been ordered.
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