Hurricane Matthew gains strength in the Caribbean, becomes major storm

Hurricane Matthew has been upgraded to a Category 4 storm as it makes its way toward Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center predicts heavy rain over the weekend in Aruba, Colombia and Venezuela.

Meteorologists still do not know if or how the storm will make landfall in the United States. The National Weather Service said Friday it is still too early to determine how it could affect Florida.

Matthew is the fifth hurricane in this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

The Weather Channel reports that even if Matthew does not hit the U.S. coast there will be “a threat of dangerous swells, coastal flooding, and beach erosion is likely to be in play along parts of the Eastern Seaboard.”

Left: Tropical Storm Matthew, which has since gained hurricane strength, is seen in an image captured by NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite at 1pm ET (17:00 GMT) September 29, 2016. NOAA/NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team/Handout via REUTERS

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