Matthew now bringing hurricane force gusts to Coastal Georgia

by The Weather Channel on 9 Oct 2016 Hurricane Matthew's eyewall continues to approach parts of Georgia's southeast coast and South Carolina's coast with high winds and major storm surge flooding and will spread those impacts, in addition to potentially serious rainfall flooding, throughout Georgia, South Carolina and southern North Carolina through at least Saturday night. Landfall in South Carolina is possible over the next couple of hours.

Tybee Island, Georgia has recently reported an 80 mph wind gust.

Hurricane warnings are in effect north of Fernandina Beach in Florida to Surf City, North Carolina. This includes locations such as Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina.

A hurricane watch has been posted north of Surf City to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours.

A tropical storm warning continues north of there to include the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as well as Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. Winds of over 40 mph are also possible north of the Flagler/Volusia county line to Fernandina Beach, Florida.

All coastal warnings have been discontinued south of the Flagler/Volusia county line in Florida.

Matthew's precarious track, in which the eyewall has arrived on the coast with destructive hurricane-force gusts, which will spread north through Saturday along the Georgia coast and parts of the Carolina coasts.

Storm surge flooding has already occurred along the northeast Florida coast, including in the Daytona Beach, St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach areas, and has already spread as far north as South Carolina during Friday afternoon's high tide.

A dangerous night is ahead for Savannah, Georgia, as an 80+ year-old storm surge record has fallen.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Jacksonville, Florida, Friday morning, 'Barrier islands are likely to be breached and it is extremely possible that new inlets will be cut off in the worst affected areas.' The NWS office in Charleston, South Carolina, said Friday that tide levels at both Charleston, South Carolina, and Ft. Pulaski, Georgia, could approach or even surpass those seen during the October 2015 epic flood event.

For more information on Hurricane Matthew visit website.