NU Online News Service, Sept. 24, 11:02 a.m. EDT
This morning Central America was introduced to Tropical Storm Matthew, which could become a hurricane and head into the Gulf of Mexico threatening Florida.
Matthew is the thirteenth-named storm of the season, and modelers said its track is uncertain. Some forecast models have Matthew eventually moving to the coast of western Florida within the next seven days after striking Central America early next week.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said today that Matthew has sustained winds of 45 mph and was headed quickly to Central America. It is expected to strike near the Nicaragua and Honduras border on Saturday, and there is a slight chance it could become a hurricane, the NHC said.
Modeler Risk Management Solutions (RMS) said the storm's track after landfall is uncertain.
"The future intensity of Matthew will very much depend on how much interaction with land there is; however, environmental conditions are extremely conducive to intensification in the vicinity of Matthew with very warm sea surface temperatures, high oceanic heat content and low wind shear," according to a report from RMS.
The NHC is predicting six to 10 inches of rain over Nicaragua and Honduras, with up to 15 inches of rain possible in some areas.
RMS said Matthew marks the beginning of the formation of tropical cyclones in the western Atlantic, which is typical for this time of year.
In the meantime, one-time hurricane Lisa is now barely a tropical storm. Lisa is located nearly 400 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa. The storm has a chance of strengthening but is expected to stay in the eastern Atlantic.
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