The National Meteorological Centre (CNM) of Haiti informs that "The tropical storm Matthew that formed Thursday near the Caribbean Arc turned since Thursday afternoon into Hurricane Category 1," with maximum sustained winds 120 km/h and is currently moving westward at 28 km/h.

The system is localized Thursday at 4:00 p.m. on the Caribbean Sea, around 240km north-east of Curacao and around 690 km to the South Southeast of Port-au-Prince.

"For now, Hurricane Matthew does not represent a direct threat to Haiti. However, it could pour hundreds of millimeters of rain on some areas of Haiti during its possible move close to the Windward Passage this week-end. Consequently, the CNM continues to monitor the evolution and trajectory of this system to keep people informed and if the threat becomes clearer CNM could pass in the alert phase from Friday during the day," inform the CNM.

The swells generated by Matthew would affect parts of the coast of the island of Hispaniola informs the National Weather Service of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

According to the analysis, "Matthew" present a an uncanny resemblance to "Hazel" Hurricane of 1954, which had claimed the lives of 1,000 people in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre