Category 4 Hurricane Matthew draws closer to Jamaica

Jamaica remains under a Hurricane Watch with the powerful Category 4 Hurricane Matthew getting close to this island and neighbouring Haiti.

Matthew is moving westward over the central Caribbean though it is decreasing in wind speed. It is located about 625 kilometres or 388 miles south east of  Kingston.
   
Maximum sustained winds are now 230 kilometres or 142 miles per hour.
   
Lawrence Brown, Duty Forecaster at Jamaica's National Meteorological Service, told RJR News at noon on Saturday that the hurricane force winds have been contracting, "by about 20 kilometres per hour," or do not extend out as far as before.

Furthermore, he said, "there has been information that... the eye has become a little bit less formed."

Nevertheless, he has cautioned against complacency, pointing out that "it is still a strong category four hurricane."

The Meteorological Service is projecting that by Monday Jamaica will experience dangerously high storm surges associated with Matthew.