Hurricane Matthew’s howling wind and driving rain pummeled Florida early today, starting what’s expected to be a ruinous, dayslong battering of the Southeast coast. The strongest winds of 120 mph were just offshore, but Matthew’s wrath still menaced more than 500 miles of coastline.
As of 6 a.m. EDT today, the hurricane’s western eyewall was brushing Cape Canaveral, according to the National Hurricane Center. Matthew was centered about 25 miles east of Cape Canaveral and moving north-northwest around 14 mph.