Post-Tropical Cyclone Matthew to track east out to sea instead of looping south

After days of forecast models depicting Matthew looping back toward the Bahamas, the cyclone will now head east out to sea after lashing North Carolina for another day. 

The 8 a.m. track from the National Hurricane Center positions Post-Tropical Cyclone Matthew about 60 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. 

The system’s center of circulation is currently tracking east-northeast at 14 miles per hour and will continue to head out to sea. Wind, storm surge, rainfall, and wave impacts in North Carolina will begin to diminish late today, with the Outer Banks seeing improvement last. Click here for the National Hurricane Center update.

According to the National Hurricane Center, a post-tropical cyclone is a “generic term [that] describes a cyclone that no longer possesses sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a tropical cyclone.”

The track has changed because of a stronger steering flow out of the west. 

“Matthew is now fully embedded within the mid-latitude westerly flow, and this deep-layer steering pattern is expected to move the cyclone east-northeastward and away from the coast of North Carolina today,” a National Hurricane Center discussion states. 

As for impacts in New Jersey, the ongoing rain has been from a cold front and a trough interacting and pulling moisture from Matthew, forecasters say. According to the National Weather Service, rain is expected to move off the coast later this afternoon.

The already breezy conditions will increase throughout the day, especially in southern areas, due to a tightening pressure gradient between the departing cold front and a building high pressure system. 

Gusts up to 45 miles per hour are possible before lessening tonight. Tomorrow will feature sunny skies with northerly breeze up to around 20 miles per hour.