Hurricane Matthew will likely cause some problems in the Caribbean early next week.
I got a phone call Thursday night from a local gentleman who was taking his wife on a trip beginning Friday. The destination? Fun in the sun in the Bahamas. Through next week.
He said he had insurance for the trip and wanted to know if Hurricane Matthew, currently spinning south of the Virgin Islands, would affect their stay.
Welp. The answer right now looks to be YES. At least that's what the major computer guidance models are saying.
Matthew will likely stay a Category 1 storm as it churns west through Saturday morning. It is then expected to turn abruptly north and intensify.
MATTHEW is going to be a BIG Storm! #TropicalStormMatthew pic.twitter.com/GeOhnXytpx
— Mark Johnson (@MarkJWeather) September 29, 2016
By Tuesday, most computer guidance models put the center of the storm across the Bahamas as a Category 3 storm.
This would, of course, spoil any idyllic vacation plans you might have for the island chain as winds could exceed 110 mph.
Here are what the computer guidance models are saying. Notice the center of the storm over the Bahamas Tuesday.
That's the GFS Model above. Here is the Canadian GEM model below.
Of course, computer models are not infallible. Any slight shift in Matthew's position in the next day or so will shift the track as the storm moves north this weekend. So, that means, folks in Southern Florida also need to keep an eye on Matthew.
Of course, a storm in the Bahamas moving north also means people along the US East Coast will have to keep a close eye on Matthew late next week. Stay tuned!
