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Hurricane Matthew heading towards Georgia, South Carolina

Posted at 6:01 PM, Oct 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-07 18:09:40-04

RICHMOND, Va. —  Hurricane Matthew spent much of Friday tracking parallel to the east coast of Florida.  For the majority of its path, the strongest winds (located in the eye wall surrounding the center) have stayed just offshore.  However, areas near the coast have been pounded with hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall:  https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/784491055513235456

By early evening, the maximum sustained winds dropped to 110 mph, making it a strong category 2 hurricane.

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Here is a view of Matthew from the International Space Station, courtesy of NASA:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwiEJaEYck

Wave heights off the coast have exceeded 25 feet over the open waters of the Atlantic.

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The forecast track brings the center right against the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina during Saturday.  The storm may actually make a landfall near northeastern Georgia or part of South Carolina.

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The storm should curve away from the North Carolina coast on Sunday.  Due to the atmospheric set up (cold front to the west, high pressure to the northeast, Tropical Storm Nicole to the southeast), Matthew will be pushed into a circular pattern early next week.  While the storm may get back to the Bahamas or Florida, it will be in a much weaker form.

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Due to the proximity of the storm off the Mid-Atlantic coast for the next few days, heavy rainfall will affect Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and far southeastern Virginia.

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In Virginia, moisture and rain from Matthew will be drawn up ahead a cold front, which will pass through the area on Saturday.

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Rainfall totals over 1″ will be possible in the metro, but sections of far southeastern Virginia may pick up in excess of 4″ of rain.

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Wind gusts will be strongest near Hampton Roads, and minor coastal flooding will be possible from Virginia Beach up through the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck.  Water levels may be 1 to 3 feet above normal during high tide cycles.

Additional information can be found in the CBS 6 Hurricane Tracker.   Tropical Storm Nicole is located east of the Bahamas and south of Bermuda.  That storm will be fairly stationary through Monday, then track northward towards Bermuda.