Orange County now under a Hurricane Watch
At 5:00 AM EDT today The National Hurricane Center reported the center of Hurricane Matthew was 65 miles northwest of the eastern tip of Cuba. Hurricane Matthew is moving toward the north near 10 mph. A turn toward the north-northwest is expected today, followed by a northwest turn tonight. Matthew will be moving across the Bahamas through Thursday, and is expected to be very near the east coast of Florida by Thursday evening.
Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph with higher gusts. Matthew is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some slight strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 km).
Hurricane conditions are expected to continue affecting the northwest portion of Haiti this morning. Hurricane conditions are likely occuring over eastern Cuba and portions of the southeastern Bahamas. Hurricane conditions are expected to spread over the central Bahamas later today and the northwestern Bahamas tonight.
Tropical storm conditions will continue over portions of Haiti and eastern Cuba this morning. Tropical storm conditions are spreading over the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, and should reach the central and northwestern Bahamas later today, making outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Tropical storm conditions should diminish within the warning area in the Dominican Republic this morning.
Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area in Florida by late Thursday, with tropical storm conditions expected by early Thursday. Tropical storm conditions should reach the tropical storm warning area in Florida by early Thursday.