Hurricane Matthew batters Florida, knocks out power
FLORIDA, October 7, 2016
Hurricane Matthew charged up the Florida coast on Friday, punishing the coast with wind gusts up to 100 mph and a surge of ocean waters that engulfed normally dry land.
But the storm’s center remained far enough offshore to avoid even stronger winds and a worst-case scenario, according to www.washingtonpost.com.
The massive storm will batter coastal Georgia and South Carolina into the weekend with a dangerous storm surge, damaging winds gusts and flooding rain. If the latest computer model projections are correct, coastal South Carolina could endure a direct hit.
President Obama warned coastal residents not to let their guards down, especially given the storm surge threat. “Remember Sandy,” Obama said, “when people thought it wasn’t as bad as we thought and suddenly we got a massive storm surge.”
Even as far north as Edisto Beach, South Carolina, 200 miles from the storm center – the surge was causing coastal flooding.
Although Matthew had weakened some since Thursday, its maximum sustained winds were still 115 mph Friday afternoon, making it a powerful Category 3 hurricane.
As Matthew’s western eyewall grazed Cape Canaveral early Friday, it briefly experienced wind gusts over 100 mph, which ripped off roofs and downed trees.
Locations near Daytona Beach experienced several gusts in the range of 70 mph Friday morning as the eyewall drew perilously close. One unofficial observing site gusted to 91 mph between 11 a.m. and noon.
The National Hurricane Center said a private weather station logged an 83 mph gust in New Smyrna Beach Friday morning.
Over one million Florida homes were reported without power Friday afternoon.
Cities north of Jacksonville, and into Savannah, Ga., are forecast to experience strong winds between Friday afternoon and early Saturday. In South Carolina, the most intense winds are likely early Saturday.
