HURRICANE MATTHEW: (ALERT 22)

EYE OF CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE MATTHEW OVER THE SOUTHWEST PENINSULA OF HAITI. A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE BAHAMAS.  

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS WITHIN 36 HOURS. 

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. 

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS. 

AT 8AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE MATTHEW WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.4 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 74.2 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 170 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAP HAITIEN, HAITI, 125 MILES OF THE EASTERN TIP OF CUBA, 190 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, 285 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF DUNCAN TOWN RAGGED ISLAND, 260 MILES SOUTH OF SALINA POINT ACKLINS AND 500 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE, 265 MILE SOUTHWEST OF PROVIDECIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS. 

MATTHEW IS NOW OVERLAND NEAR LES ANGLAIS HAITI MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 9 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY. ON THIS TRACK THE EYE WILL BE BACK OVER WATER SHORTLY. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED BY WEDNESDAY, FOLLOWED BY A NORTHWEST TURN WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF MATTHEW WILL PASS NEAR EASTERN CUBA LATER TODAY, AND MOVE NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY, AND APPROACH THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. 

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  MATTHEW IS A DANGEROUS CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE.  SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, BUT MATTHEW IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A POWERFUL HURRICANE THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 40 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES FROM THE CENTER.

RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE PREPARATION FOR HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE PREPARATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS.  TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN AFFECTING INAGUA SHORTLY AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS BY AFTERNOON TODAY AND SPREAD INTO RAGGED ISLAND, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, MAYAGUANA AND LONG ISLAND TONIGHT.  THE WESTERN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS TONIGHT.  RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS ARE ALSO ADVISED TO LISTEN AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.

EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS MATTHEW IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES.  MATTHEW IS ALSO EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 8 INCHES OVER THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. 

THE COMBINATION OF A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES COULD RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE THROUGHOUT BAHAMAS.

SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT AND SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE PROPERLY SECURED.

THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE MATTHEW WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON..