Story last updated at 11 p.m. ET Tuesday:

The hurricane watches that had been issued along the southeastern coast of Florida ahead of the approach of Hurricane Matthew became warnings late Tuesday night, and the watch has crept northward.

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The center of the eye of Matthew made landfall near Juaco, Cuba, on Tuesday evening. As of the 11 p.m. ET update, Matthew was about 55 miles east northeast of Guantanamo Bay.

The previous hurricane watch was extended northward to the Flagler/Volusia County line.

Matthew has weakened to maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. It's traveling north at about 8 mph.

Matthew is expected to turn north-northwest is expected Wednesday, then a northwest turn Wednesday night.

Maximum sustained winds are about 140 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend out from the center for about 45 miles. Tropical storm force winds extend for 175 miles from the center.

Hurricane conditions are still lashing parts of Haiti. They're likely occurring now over eastern Cuba, and will begin over the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday morning. Tropical storm conditions are still occurring in portions of the Dominican Republic.

As Matthew approaches the Florida east coast from the Bahamas on Thursday, conditions will deteriorate along the coast.

Hurricane wind conditions are possible from later Thursday into Friday. Right now, Matthew's center should remain offshore. However, when a hurricane is forecast to run parallel to a coastline — as Matthew is forecast to do along Florida's east coast — it presents a larger challenge in the exact track forecast and certainly any concern of landfall this far in advance.

Even a small jog to the left or right would make a huge difference in where hurricane conditions may set up. A few miles west would mean a larger area of hurricane conditions along the east coast, and a jog or wobble eastward would mean hurricane conditions would stay offshore.

Therefore, it will likely take another day or so to iron out the details of the potential impacts of Matthew in Florida, as we are trying to time the movement of large-scale upper-air systems moving through the northern United States.

8:50 p.m.

The City of Cocoa Beach announced there will be a mandatory evacuation of the barrier islands starting 3 p.m. Wednesday. It also said all Brevard County shelters will open Wednesday morning.

8:30 p.m.

Health First's only beachside hospital in Cocoa Beach will evacuate patients tonight and into the morning. All Cape Canaveral Hospital patients, beginning with the most critical patients first, will be relocated to Holmes Regional in Melbourne, according to Health First administrators.

Previous updates

7:35 p.m.: The Garth Brooks concert scheduled for Thursday has been rescheduled to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, due to Hurricane Matthew, the Amway Center said. No other shows there have been impacted, it said. In the Upper Keys northward to coastal east-central Florida, 4 to 7 inches of rainfall are expected, with isolated areas getting 10 inches of rainfall.

5:30 p.m.: Flagler County has issued a local state of emergency following Gov. Rick Scott's statewide emergency order. “We have to plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Flagler Administrator Craig Coffey said. The county's Emergency Operations Center was set to level 2 for command and general staff. For more information, visit flagleremergency.com.

The City of Winter Springs suggests these tips 36 hours away from an approaching dangerous tropical cyclone:

  • Restock your emergency preparedness kit;
  • Plan how to communicate with your loved ones if you lose power;
  • Review your evacuation plan with your family;
  • Fill up your vehicle's gas tank and make sure it's stocked full of supplies and clothes.

5:15 p.m.: Port Canaveral has issued an evacuation order. The order affects Jetty Park campers, marinas and all Port businesses and tenants. The deadline to evacuate is noon Wednesday.

U.S. Coast Guard also said that Canaveral harbor will close by Wednesday afternoon, which means no vessel traffic — including cruise and cargo ships, recreational and commercial fishing boats — will be allowed in harbor until after the storm passes and the order is lifted.

5 p.m.: The hurricane watch has been extended a little farther south along the Florida coast, as Matthew's forecast track has shifted slightly west. Matthew's maximum sustained winds have decreased slightly to 140 mph, but it still remains a dangerous category 4 hurricane. It's expected to maintain this strength for the next couple of days.

4 p.m.: Volusia County beaches will close to vehicle traffic starting at 5 p.m., the county said. Toll booths, portable lifeguard towers and traffic signs are being removed from beaches. The county discourages people from going to the beach during the next couple of days.

Earlier Tuesday: Category 4 hurricane Matthew made landfall early this morning on the western tip of Haiti, packing sustained winds to 145 mph near the eye.

Wind and torrential rain plagued Hispaniola today, with 15 to 25 inches of rain and isolated 40-inch amounts in the forecast. Hurricane force winds will spread across eastern Cuba this afternoon, then into the southeastern Bahamas tonight. We need to keep a close eye on the track as the storm begins turning northwest into the Bahamas, eventually making its way close to our east coast by Thursday and Friday.

Models are starting to converge on a path near our east coast by Thursday night. This could mean a higher threat for tropical storm force winds into southeast Florida by Thursday afternoon. Tropical storm force winds will spread up the coast late evening Thursday, with hurricane force winds possible along the Brevard County and Volusia County coast overnight. Any shift west will spread hurricane force winds inland.

We're also looking at squalls of heavy rain and serious wave action along the east coast Thursday night and Friday. Wave heights could be close to 20 feet just off shore of Cape Canaveral as the storm nears.

Right now, a ridge of high pressure over Bermuda continues showing signs of a slight shift west. A decaying trough in the southeastern U.S. is expected to begin slipping southwest away from us. This would allow Matthew to slide closer to the Florida coast. Although we still have several factors to monitor, the best course of action right now is to prepare. Don't wait until tomorrow or Thursday to have your plan in place. You should always have your hurricane action plan ready to go.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Nicole formed. It's near Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean and no threat to Florida.

Distances

As of 11 p.m. ET Tuesday, Matthew was at 20.4N, 74.4W. That is:

  • 703 miles SE of Orlando
  • 736 miles SE of Daytona Beach
  • 675 miles SE of Cape Canaveral
  • 661 miles SE of Melbourne
  • 564 miles SE of West Palm Beach
  • 538 miles SE of Fort Lauderdale
  • 552 miles SE of Key West

Watches and warnings

A hurricane warning is in effect for:

  • Haiti
  • Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma, and Las Tunas
  • Southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island
  • Central Bahamas, including Long Island, Exuma, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Cat Island
  • Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence
  • North of Golden Beach to Sebastian Inlet
  • Lake Okeechobee

A hurricane watch is in effect for:

  • Cuban province of Camaguey
  • North of Sebastian Inlet to the Flagler/Volusia county line

A tropical storm warning is in effect for:

  • Dominican Republic from Barahona westward to the border with Haiti
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Chokoloskee to Golden Beach
  • Florida Keys from Seven Mile Bridge eastward
  • Florida Bay

A tropical storm watch is in effect for:

  • Dominican Republic from Puerto Plata westward to the border with Haiti

Forecast models, track

Interactive Storm Tracker