Hurricane Matthew strengthened yet again early Thursday as it crawled toward the United States, where as many as 1.5 million people were fleeing south Atlantic coastal areas.
Evacuations were under way in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina after Matthew, which hammered Haiti and strafed Cuba, began battering the Bahamas. Twenty-five deaths have been attributed to Matthew so far in the Caribbean, most in Haiti, and forecasters warned of “life-threatening” devastation as it crossed the Bahamas early Thursday.
Tropical storm conditions were expected in Florida as early as Thursday morning before Matthew takes a turn to the north-northwest and approaches the east coast of the state’s peninsula by Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott pleaded with residents to follow evacuation orders.
“Do not surf. Do not go on the beach. This will kill you,” he said at a press conference Thursday. “There is no reason not to leave.”
Scott activated 2,500 members of the National Guard to assist with the storm and warned Floridians that projected winds of 100 to 150 mph will destroy houses and “millions will lose power, possibly for a long period of time.”
“My goal is to make sure everyone is prepared,” he said, urging residents to fill up on gas and other supplies now. “Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate.”
NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins said Thursday he was “confident saying this is going to be a major hurricane in the history of Florida.”
The National Hurricane Center extended the hurricane warning Thursday northward to Altamaha Sound in Georgia, while a watch was put into effect as far north as South Carolina’s South Santee River.
The projected path of the storm, according to the National Hurricane Center:
- Thursday morning and afternoon: Some strengthening, possibly to Category 4, with the worst conditions occurring in Nassau and New Providence in the Bahamas. Tropical storm conditions are first expected in Florida.
- Thursday evening and Friday morning: A turn toward the north-northwest is expected as Matthew approaches Florida.
- Friday afternoon and evening: Matthew will roll near the east coast of the Florida peninsula, with central coastal Florida experiencing hurricane conditions throughout the day.
- Saturday morning: Depending on the position, coastal South Carolina or Savannah, Georgia, could have strong wind and rain.
- Saturday afternoon and evening: Matthew could move eastward, with Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, feeling lesser impacts.
Experts said Matthew was hard to predict, because it’s an unusual storm.
“Typically, storms that hit Florida during October tend to hit the west coast of Florida,” said Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University, where he heads the college’s Tropical Meteorology Project.
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