Matthew now a Category 3 major Hurricane

by The Weather Channel, noonsite.com on 3 Oct 2016 Tropical Storm Matthew entered the eastern Caribbean Sea on Wednesday and developed into a hurricane today, posing a threat to parts of the Caribbean basin and possibly parts of the U.S. later next week. Matthew was the 13th named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. noonsite.com

30 September, 2016

Matthew strengthened to a Category 3 major hurricane in the Caribbean on Friday and remains a dangerous threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas over the next few days. The storm could still impact the U.S. East Coast by next week after its rampage through the Caribbean.

As of 11 a.m. ET, Matthew had maximum-sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving to the west-southwest at 12 mph and was located 495 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.

Tropical Storm Matthew Enters the Eastern Caribbean; Warnings Issued in Windward Islands - 29 September, 2016

On Wednesday morning, a Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance mission found a sufficient low-level circulation to upgrade the former Invest 97L into a tropical storm, based on flight-level winds measured over 60 mph.

Tropical storm conditions will continue across portions of the Windward Islands.

Winds on the island of Martinique are sustained at over 40 mph and gusting over 65 mph. Some stations are elevated at 50 to 100 feet. Sustained winds of 39 mph were reported on the island of Barbados.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the Lesser Antilles, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Dominica, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands. Winds over 40 mph are likely there through this evening.

Tropical storm watches have been issued for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. Winds of 40 mph or greater are possible there within 36 to 48 hours.

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