Hurricane Matthew Expected To Strengthen To Category 4 As It Approaches Florida

Hurricane Matthew is expected to strengthen from a category 3 storm to a category 4 storm as it churns toward the east coast of the Florida peninsula later Thursday and through Friday night, the National Hurricane Center warned in its latest advisory. The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 125 miles an hour and its outer rainbands are already approaching Florida, said the NHC. A hurricane warning is in effect for the central and northwestern Bahamas, as well as north of Golden Beach Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia and north to South Santee River South Carolina. "Hurricane conditions are expected to first reach the hurricane warning area in Florida by late today and will spread northward within the warning area through Friday," said the advisory. "Tropical storm conditions are first expected in Florida by late this morning."