Hurricane Matthew Eye Wall Approaching Cape Canaveral With Hurricane-Force Winds

By Space Coast Daily // October 7, 2016

Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph

ABOVE VIDEO: WFTV’s Live Stream Hurricane Matthew Coverage Online.

UPDATE: Oct. 7, 5 a.m.

REPORT: More Than 100,000 Without Power On the Space Coast, Located About 40 Miles Away From Cape Canaveral

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Hurricane Matthew is skirting the Space Coast and the western portion of the eye wall is approaching Cape Canaveral with hurricane-force winds. At this hour, Matthew is approximately 40 miles east southeast of Cape Canaveral.

At 5 a.m., the eye of Hurricane Matthew was located by NOAA Doppler weather radars and an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 28.2 North, longitude 80.0 West.

Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph (195 km/h) with higher gusts. Matthew is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Although weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, Matthew is expected to be a category 3 hurricane as it moves near the coast of Florida today.

Matthew is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the north is expected tonight or Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Matthew will be moving near or over the east coast of the Florida peninsula through tonight, and near or over the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina on Saturday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). During the past hour, a sustained wind of 49 mph (80 km/h) with a gust to 74 mph (118 km/h) was reported at Vero Beach, Florida.

A sustained wind of 47 mph (76 km/h) with a gust to 69 mph (111 km/h) was reported at Melbourne, Florida. NOAA buoy 41009 off Cape Canaveral recently reported a sustained wind of 65 mph (104 km/h) with a gust to 78 mph (126 km/h).

The latest minimum central pressure reported by the reconnaissance aircraft was 938 mb (27.70 inches).

88 mph wind gusts reported at Satellite Beach in Brevard County.