Folks,
Your amateur meteorologist Goosenheimer here. I know we have players all over the world and so of you may not be aware that those of us in the SE USA and Caribbean are due for another monster hurricane. It is currently moving north at 7mph (11km/h) and lies south of Cuba and Hispaniola. We are looking at maximum sustained winds of 140MPH (220 km/h) at the moment and there are higher gusts. Some fluctuations are possible but Matthew is expected to remain a powerful hurricane for the next few days. To give you an idea of the scope for those who are unfamiliar with hurricanes the hurricane-force winds extend outward about 40 miles (65km) from the center, with tropical storm force winds extending 185 miles (295 km) from the center. This means that, should Matthew end up in the exact middle between Key West and Havana at its current size and strength both cities would be buffeted by winds up to 73mph.
A look at the track shows that Matthew keeps tracking westward, and if it keeps doing so it will likely smack the east coast of Florida around a bit before heading NE and giving the Carolinas some grief. This is nothing definite and can change from day to day, hour to hour. We really won't know what the hell is going to happen until it scoots past Cuba. Since we have a number of players (myself included) that may see anywhere from minor to cata-freaking-strophic effects please be understanding that a number of us may be unavailable until this passes.
Obligatory music for those of us that are used to dealing with these things. (I went through my first direct hit in 1985 and dealt with outlying effects before Elena.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxdmw4tJJ1Y
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