Category 4 Hurricane Matthew roars through Caribbean

Matthew, a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, barreled through the Caribbean on Saturday toward Jamaica and Haiti. It could affect the U.S. East Coast next week, anywhere from Florida to Maine, the Weather Underground reported.

Even if the storm does not make a direct hit on Haiti, rains from Matthew are "expected to bring life-threatening rainfall to portions of Haiti," the National Hurricane Center said.

The hurricane also threatens Cuba and the Bahamas on Monday and Tuesday.

As of 8 p.m. ET Saturday, Matthew had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane was stationary and was located 360 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

"Some fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next couple of days, but Matthew is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through Monday," the NHC says.

Matthew is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 15 to 25 inches over southern Haiti, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches, the hurricane center said.

A hurricane warning has been posted for Jamaica and portions of Haiti. A hurricane watch has been issued for portions of eastern Cuba.

The U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay on Saturday evacuated families and other so-called “non-essential personnel” from the remote outpost in southeast Cuba ahead of Matthew, the Miami Herald reported.

Friday night, when Matthew roared to Category 5 status, it became the strongest Atlantic Ocean Basin hurricane since Felix in 2007, NBC reported.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bernie Rayno said if Matthew moves swiftly as it heads north, it has a greater chance of causing significant impact from rain, wind and flooding along much of the Atlantic coast.

"On the other hand, if Matthew's forward speed slows, it could still have significant impact on the Atlantic coast, but in a much smaller area, when compared to a fast-moving hurricane," he said.

The hurricane center's five-day forecast cone — which marks the range of the storm's possible path — includes a portion of southeastern Florida early Wednesday.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said government services have been placed on high alert, according to the Jamaica Observer newspaper. Thursday, fishermen on Jamaica’s cays and banks were advised to evacuate immediately and return to the mainland.

Other small-craft operators in the island’s coastal waters were told to return to port, while those in port were advised not to venture out, the newspaper reported.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the state emergency operations centers were active Friday. He said state officials would continue to monitor Matthew's path and urged residents and tourists to monitor the storm and have their emergency plan in place.

"As Hurricane Matthew moves through the Caribbean this weekend, it’s a very dangerous storm and life threatening," Scott said. "We haven’t seen a storm of this magnitude approach our state in a very long time. While the National Hurricane Center’s forecast continues to show the track of the storm east of our state, it’s too soon to rule out impacts to Florida," he said.

A hurricane is classified as "major" when its sustained winds reach 111 mph. A major hurricane is a Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It's the first major hurricane in September in the Caribbean since Felix in 2007.

Hurricane Matthew is the fifth hurricane and second major hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. It's now the only hurricane or typhoon on the planet.

Contributing: Alan Gomez in Miami