Hurricane Matthew to cause dangerous conditions along southeastern US coast

Updated

Seas and surf will build to dangerous and damaging levels along the southeastern United States coast later this week, when powerful Hurricane Matthew is forecast to take a northwestward turn.

Matthew is likely to remain a hurricane and a threat to lives and property well beyond the Caribbean.

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After weaving through the large islands of the Caribbean into Wednesday, Matthew will likely take a more northwestward path across the Bahamas from Wednesday into Friday.

"Large swells will propagate outward from the hurricane and will reach the coastline from eastern Florida to North Carolina in the form of building surf and increasing rip currents," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

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Since Matthew will be moving along rather slowly into Friday, the long-duration pounding of the surf can lead to significant beach erosion and disruptions to beach and boating activities for days, rather than hours, along the United States Atlantic coast.

The building surf will make for dangerous conditions for swimmers and surfers, while building seas will be of increasing concern for small craft, as well as cruise, fishing and freight interests.

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How serious the wave action becomes, along with the risk of damaging winds, coastal flooding and excessive rainfall this weekend and into next week will depend on Hurricane Matthew's future path.

Offshore, seas will build to monstrous levels. Waves heights in the open Atlantic, north of the Bahamas can top 25 feet.

In addition to dangerous surf, tropical storm to hurricane force conditions may brush the eastern coasts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

On Monday, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency for 66 counties in eastern and central North Carolina in anticipation of Matthew. The state of emergency was issued to facilitate the movement of any resources that may be needed to respond to the storm, officials said.

"While we do not yet know how Hurricane Matthew will impact North Carolina, we do know that we can expect some form of impacts on our state," said Gov. McCrory. "We are taking this storm seriously, and I encourage residents and visitors do the same."

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for every county in the state due to the severity and magnitude of Matthew.

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Possible paths Hurricane Matthew may take this weekend into next week

The movement and strength of multiple non-tropical weather systems will influence the path of Matthew beyond Friday, Kottlowski stated.

Even minor fluctuations in the strength and position of these non-tropical systems can have a major impact on the path of Matthew, once the system reaches northern latitudes.

"Options range from a continued northwest movement with landfall in the Carolinas to a northward turn along the Atlantic Seaboard to a curve out to sea this weekend into next week," Kottlowski said.

In the landfall scenario, coastal and inland flooding would occur, along with damaging winds near and east of the center of the storm initially.

Even if Matthew turns out to sea, it may be temporary and the hurricane may have to be dealt with once again somewhere along the Atlantic coast.

"An offshore path that parallels the U.S. Atlantic coast could still lead to heavy rain in the mid-Atlantic and New England, if a non-tropical storm system interacts with Matthew," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.

The forward speed of a hurricane that parallels the coast can rapidly increase as it moves northward this time of the year.

All interests along the Atlantic coast of the U.S., as well as the Maritime Provinces of Canada and Bermuda should closely monitor the progression of this very dangerous hurricane.

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