Orange County under hurricane watch

The National Weather Service has placed Orange County under a hurricane watch. 

The storm could bring tropical storm-force winds to the area between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, with the potential for hurricane force winds from 74 to 110 miles per hour. There is a potential for tornadoes, flooding and power outages. 

Hurricane Matthew is projected to move parallel to Florida’s east coast Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said.

Matthew will be moving across the Bahamas through Thursday, and the National Hurricane Center expects the storm to near near the east coast of Florida by Thursday evening.

On Oct. 3, Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in each Florida county to prepare for the potential impact the storm could have on the state.

“Hurricane Matthew is a life-threatening category four hurricane and we must all take it seriously,” Scott said in a release. “If Hurricane Matthew directly impacts Florida, there could be massive destruction which we haven’t seen since Hurricane Andrew devastated Miami-Dade County in 1992.”

Orange County Public Schools is currently monitoring the storm and works in conjunction with the National Weather Service, OCPS media relations specialists said. No cancellations are planned yet, but a decision about school operations on Thursday will be made by midday Wednesday. If winds exceed 35 miles per hour, busses cannot operate safely. Severity of rain, timing of strongest impact of rain and winds and tornado warning potential could also lead to the decision to close schools. 

Parents and others interested should monitor ocps.net, where the latest updates on cancellations will be communicated. 

For information on preparing for a storm, visit ready.gov/hurricane-toolkit.