These 3 images show why Hurricane Matthew is a terrifying force of nature

Florida hasn't been battered by a significant hurricane in 11 years, but it's looking increasingly likely the Hurricane Matthew, currently pounding the Bahamas, may break that streak. On Thursday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Matthew, now a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, had strengthened significantly and would likely become a Category 4 storm as it nears Florida's Atlantic Coast. Almost 2 million people were in evacuation zones as of Wednesday night, and forecasters expanded their hurricane warning area from Florida up to Georgia's Altamaha Sound, and its hurricane watch area as far as the South Santee River in South Carolina.

As of 5 a.m. in Florida, Hurricane Matthew was 225 miles southeast of West Palm Beach, moving to the northwest at 12 mph. The National Hurricane Service is warning of possible "extremely dangerous and life-threatening wind" and a "life-threatening and historic storm surge," as well as structural damage that could make buildings and homes "uninhabitable for weeks or months." If that's not frightening enough, one of the many possible paths forecast for Hurricane Matthew is a loop that would batter Florida twice.

Debunking site Snopes notes that the "loop the loop" scenario is unlikely, but this image of Matthew from space, with the storm appearing like a leering skull, is real and undoctored.

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This final view of Hurricane Matthew is almost serene, taken from space by NASA cameras. On Earth, the storm is already deemed responsible for at least 16 deaths, and after it is through with the Bahamas, Matthew is coming toward Florida. Peter Weber