This post is also available in: Spanish

As of 2 a.m. this morning, Hurricane Matthew has downgraded to a Category 3 storm with top winds sustained at 120 mph. As one of the most dangerous hurricanes to hit Florida since 2004, President Obama declared a state of emergency, while Florida Governor Rick Scott advised everyone to evacuate. So far everyone living on the coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have been evacuated. Destructive winds and torrential rain are due through the weekend and may even make their way up to southern North Carolina.

The NHC warned that coastal waters in parts of Florida could rise by up to nine feet (2.7 metres) because of a storm surge – when ocean surface water rises as a result of high winds, and is pushed on to coastal areas. They are also issuing potential storm surge flooding maps but advising that these map do not represent a forecast of expected coastal inundation, currently at 9 – 11 feet. Breaking waves of up to 20 – 25 feet are possible atop the coastal surge. Nicole who had become a hurricane at the south of Bermuda yesterday has weakened to a tropical storm, barely moving but expected to move slowly southward soon. Due to its position and movement it is not likely to affect the US or the Dominican Republic. Hurricane Matthew warning alerts can be seen in the image below from The Weather Channel:

Tide levels in Florida may pass that of last year’s October 2015 flooding. By Monday, Hurricane Matthew is expected to turn east out of the Carolinas and may even head southwest, back into the northern Bahamas.

Hurricane Matthew

11:00 AM EDT Fri Oct 7

Category 3

Location: 29.4°N 80.5°W
Moving: NNW at 12 mph
Min pressure: 947 mb
Max sustained: 120 mph

Find out more information visiting the National Hurricane Center webpage.

Predictions:

Hurricane Matthew is making its way through Florida today and up the eastern coastline throughout the weekend, with a possible return to the Bahamas on Tuesday.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?

By shifting position, Hurricane Matthew no longer represents any danger to the country. ONAMET has lifted all the alerts, but maintains flooding and landslide alerts in Barahona.

REASON TO PANIC?

No, but definitely good to stay informed! While we at Casa de Campo Living will do our best to keep you up to date, we recommend the following for the latest news:

• www.nhc.noaa.gov – The National Hurricane Center
• www.weather.com – The Weather Channel
• ONAMET.gov.do – the Dominican Republic’s official weather warning people (this one is in Spanish)
• Twitter: We recommend following NHC_Atlantic – for regular tweets on hurricanes and tropical storms