At 5:00 PM the National Hurricane Center reported the center of Tropical Storm Matthew to be located just west of the island of Martinique. Matthew is moving toward the west near 18 mph. A westward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days.
On the forecast track, the center of Matthew will move away from the Windward Islands through this evening, and be over the eastern and central Caribbean Sea through Friday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected during the next couple of days, and Matthew is forecast to become a hurricane by Friday.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles primarily to the northeast of the center. A wind gust to 54 mph was reported at Martinique within the past few hours.
Tropical storm conditions will continue through this evening over the southern Leeward Islands and northern Windward Islands within the warning. Tropical storm conditions are possible in
Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba, beginning late Thursday.
Matthew is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches across the Windward Islands and southern portions of the Leeward Islands through Thursday. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches are expected farther to the north into the northern Leeward Islands, including the United States and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected over Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao through Friday.
The next update intermediate update will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 8:00 PM.
The next complete advisory will be at 11:00 PM.
