KEY MESSAGES:
1. The western eyewall of Matthew, which contains hurricane-force
winds, is now moving over the northern coast of Georgia and
the southern coast of South Carolina and should spread up the coast
during the day.
2. Hurricane winds increase very rapidly with height, and occupants
of high-rise buildings along the coast are at particular risk of
strong winds. Winds at the top of a 30-story building will average
one Saffir-Simpson category higher than the winds near the surface.
3. The water hazards remain, even if the core of Matthew remains
offshore. These include the danger of life-threatening inundation
from storm surge, as well as inland flooding from heavy rains from
Florida to North Carolina.
4. The National Hurricane Center is issuing Potential Storm Surge
Flooding Maps, and Prototype Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphics for
Matthew. It is important to remember that the Potential Storm Surge
Flooding Map does not represent a forecast of expected inundation,
but rather depicts a reasonable worst-case scenario -- the amount of
inundation that has a 10 percent chance of being exceeded.
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