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Spanish
Hurricane Matthew is one of the most dangerous hurricanes that we have come across for the last couple of years. There have been numerous reported deaths, and thousands have been evacuated. As predicted, the large mountainous islands caused Matthew to weaken on Tuesday night going down to a Category 3 hurricane, but it is gaining strength.
Hurricane Matthew is close to the US and is expected to reach the country over the next couple of days. This afternoon, Matthew with 120 mph (195 kph) winds is moving toward the Bahamas where forecasters have predicted that Matthew will strengthen back to a Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, between Thursday evening and Saturday. The US has advised the public to stay calm but to be vigilant, and prepare for a possible impact.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect in our neighboring country of Haiti which has already seen devastating effects from the passing of the hurricane yesterday and Monday morning. Mudslides may continue for days due to rain-soaked ground both in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic. Some light rain is expected for the next couple of days in several areas. Matthew headed on to Eastern Cuba after leaving our island, and conditions should slowly improve this afternoon though the rainbands may trigger additional flash floods. Meanwhile, conditions have worsened in the Bahamas as Matthew hits. Tropical Storm Nicole, on the other hand, is moving west over the Atlantic.
Hurricane Matthew
As of 2:00 PM EDT Wed Oct 5:
Category 3
Location: 22.1°N 75.3°W
Moving: NW at 12 mph
Min pressure: 963 mb
Max sustained: 120 mphInformation from the National Hurricane Center.
Predictions:
Hurricane Matthew is moving down to the Bahamas and is set to reach the US over the next couple of days, hitting Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?
The cloud activity associated with Hurricane Matthew will be the cause of continued rain with occasional thunderstorms and wind gusts towards the Southwest, West, Northwest and Central regions of the country. Even though the rains are set to diminish and stop over the next 24- 36 hours, ONAMET advises everyone to remain alert at all times for landslides or flooding in these areas.
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