Hurricane Matthew nears Haiti, veers toward Florida, as death toll rises to 3

CNN shows the forecast path of Hurricane Matthew

(Image credit: CNN/YouTube)

published 4 October 2016

Hurricane Matthew, now a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, is moving toward Haiti at 7 miles per hour, and when it hits Tuesday morning, it is expected to dump up to 40 inches of rain on the impoverished Caribbean nation. "This rainfall will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion." A fisherman has already been killed in rough seas, Haiti's civil protection service said, bringing the death toll attributed to the storm to at least three, following fatalities in Colombia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Hurricane Matthew is also expected to pass over eastern Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas from Tuesday to Thursday, prompting evacuations from coastal areas and outlying islands, plus the departure of 700 spouses and children of Americans serving at Guantanamo Bay. As CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray explains in the video below, the hurricane's path is also veering to the west, putting the eastern coast of Florida in its possible path. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.