Hurricane Matthew has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it approaches Florida.
According to the National Hurricane Center, winds are now 140 mph, making it the strongest storm system to threaten the United States in a decade. Gusts can also reach up to 165 mph.
It had weakened at one point, but as of 11 a.m. Thursday, it had roared back to a Category 4. Forecasters said it will likely remain a Category 4 hurricane as it hits Florida late Thursday or early Friday and heads north. The hurricane center also expanded its hurricane warning to Edisto Beach, S.C., which is between Hilton Head Island and Charleston.
11 a.m. update: #HurricaneMatthew strengthens to a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds pic.twitter.com/BmtlfzCA9W
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) October 6, 2016
According to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, more than 1.5 million Floridians live in evacuation zones. The Republican governor asked President Obama on Wednesday to declare a federal emergency in the state.
“Get out now if you are in an area with evacuations,” Scott said in a statement, adding, “If you make a decision not to leave before the storm, we cannot send someone to save you because you made a bad decision. Don’t wait until you lose power. You need to leave before it is too late.”
Scott also activated 1,500 Florida National Guard members, and another 5,000 are ready to be deployed as needed.
The governors of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina also have declared states of emergency in their states.
More than 2 million people have been urged to leave their homes in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
“This is serious,” Scott said during a briefing Thursday morning. “This storm will kill you. Time is running out.”
The storm killed more than 100 people in Haiti, the country’s interior ministry said Thursday.
