Warm, dry and breezy afternoon after a comfortable morningEvent held in Naples for National Crime Victims Week
FORT MYERS, Fla. — A tropical wave developing in the the Atlantic Ocean was upgraded to Tropical Storm Matthew Wednesday morning and could soon reach hurricane strength. Matthew was located southeast of Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is traveling west at about 20 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. It has sustained winds of 60 mph, according the hurricane center’s 2 p.m. advisory and is expected to strengthen in the next couple of days. Matthew could become a hurricane by Friday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm will dump as many as 8 inches of rain onto the Windward Islands and parts of the Leeward Islands and could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, meteorologists said. The forecast path shows it taking a turn toward the northwest this weekend, but it’s still too early to say whether it will affect Southwest Florida. Visit WINK News Hurricane Central to make sure you’re prepared for any threatening tropical system.