Hurricane Matthew – Is A Loop Around Into The Gulf Possible?

If you're along Florida's Space Coast then your concern with dangerous Hurricane Matthew is imminent. If you live along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico you might have reason to be concerned with the storm as well. In that case we are putting the cart well before the horse.

Here are the current statistics on Hurricane Matthew as of the 4 AM advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

LOCATION...24.2N 77.1W

This is about 255 miles southeast of West Palm Beach Florida. The maximum sustatined winds are estimated to be 125 mph. The system is moving on a northwesterly track at about 12 miles an hour.

Hurricane warnings continue for the islands of the Bahamas and along the Atlantic Coast of Florida. The storm's official track brings the center of circulation almost onshore in Florida. Should the storm's center move inland or should it  stay just offshore will be a major factor in just how bad conditions along the coast and inland will be.

The Hurricane Center's track for the next three days brings the storm northward along the South Carolina coast by early Sunday Morning. It's in the long term forecast that things could get interesting at least for interest along the Gulf Coast.

Some of the reliable tracking models show the system moving out into the Atlantic and then looping back to the southwest. Some of the models show the storm's center crossing the Florida Peninsula and entering the Gulf of Mexico by the middle of next week. Remember these long range models are subject to a large margin of error especially when extrapolated over an extended period of time.

These same models also show the system significantly weaker as we go through time. What exactly will happen? This is just a wait and see game and that means you'll want to check back with our website daily for the latest information.

Meanwhile please keep a good thought and send up a prayer for the people of the Bahamas and of the east coast of Florida who will bear the brunt of this storm over the next 24 to 48 hours.