Tracking Matthew: Matthew Hammers Florida, Begins Dayslong Beating Of Coast

Category 3
Location: 28.2°N 80.0°W
Moving: NNW at 13 mph
Min pressure: 938 mb
Max sustained: 120 mph

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Hurricane Matthew's howling wind and driving rain pummeled Florida early Friday, starting what's expected to be a ruinous, dayslong battering of the Southeast coast. The strongest winds of 120 mph were just offshore, but Matthew's wrath still menaced more than 500 miles of coastline.

From the National Weather Service:

Two million people were warned to flee inland as the most powerful storm to threaten the Atlantic coast in more than a decade charged toward Florida. Matthew left more than 280 dead in its wake across the Caribbean.

"This storm's a monster," Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned as Matthew started lashing the state. "I'm going to pray for everybody's safety."

The number of homes and businesses without power jumped by the hour as the storm edged closer to the coast. More than 270,000 were in the dark by early Friday.

Source WBAL