Matthew spins into Category 4 monster

The National Weather Service upgraded Hurricane Matthew this morning to a Category 4 storm as it barreled over the Bahamas on its way to Florida’s east coast. Gov. Rick Scott said the storm, the biggest to threaten the state in at least a decade, could trigger its largest ever evacuation—1.5 million people. Forecasters think Matthew will rake almost the entire coast of Florida and part of Georgia before heading back out to sea. About 3,000 coastal residents have already taken shelter in area schools. In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal urged people in six coastal counties to voluntarily evacuate, something residents haven’t been asked to do in 17 years. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has ordered evacuations for 500,000 in her state, but Matthew likely won’t make a direct hit there. At least 16 people died in the Caribbean after Matthew passed through, with most of the victims coming from Haiti.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.