The budding tropical system in the Caribbean was officially named Tropical Storm Matthew as of Wednesday afternoon. The storm does have the potential to strengthen as it makes its westward path across the Caribbean.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts the storm to reach hurricane strength with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour by Friday as it crosses the central Caribbean.
AccuWeather Tropical Meteorologist Mike Doll said, “A northward turn is not out of line with climatology with systems in the Caribbean this time of year.”
How far west Matthew turns determines whether or not the U.S. will be at risk and at this point, it’s too early to determine.
Matthew is the thirteenth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. Please stay tuned to the Keys Weekly’s website and Facebook page for more information, or visit www.weather.gov/key (a new website for the office).
— Weekly Staff report
