FRANKLIN
Hurricane Matthew will likely impact the Western Tidewater area sometime this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, Hurricane Matthew was located about 55 miles south-southwest of the eastern tip of Cuba and moving to the north at approximately 10 miles per hour.

The National Weather Service is currently classifying Matthew as a category four hurricane, with the maximum sustained windspeed reported at 145 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 949 millibars.

Though there is still much uncertainty as to the hurricane’s ultimate course, the official track has it impacting portions of the Tidewater area of Virginia and northern North Carolina this weekend, with a possible eight inches of rainfall Friday night.

According to Alec Butner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Wakefield station, the storm will likely pass more to the east of the area, and maybe even just off shore. Due to the significant rainfall the Tidewater area has seen lately, the possibility of flooding does exist, and roads may also become impassible due to downed trees.

The NWS has issued a small craft advisory for most of the eastern coast of Virginia and North Carolina, and hazardous weather outlooks as far west as Farmville.

Gov. Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency for 66 counties in central and eastern North Carolina, but Gov. Terry McAuliffe has not yet done the same for any counties in Virginia. The NWS and the National Hurricane Center are continuing to monitor the course and severity of the hurricane.