Hurricane Matthew began battering the Florida coast with about 300,000 waking up without power early Friday.
Matthew’s winds had weakened late Thursday and was downgraded to category 3 but still packed a punch with gusts of 120 mph.
So far Matthew has forced the cancelation of more than 3,000 flights with both Orlando area airports shuttered and every major theme park closed.
South Florida was mostly spared but the Hurricane’s path churned close to the coastline at Cape Canaveral.
Storm surge in some areas could be as high as 11 feet and 15 inches of rain could fall.
Overnight curfews were in effect in areas including Orlando and Daytona Beach.
There is still a fear the Hurricane’s path could take a turn inland.
"The exact path is so critical. Miles and kilometers really count, because if it wobbles westward by say 30 miles, it brings those strong winds onshore," said CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam.
An area north of Palm Beach County is widely expected as the most likely place the storm could come ashore.
Forecasters expect Matthew to continue north parallel to the coastline through Georgia and South Carolina before arcing out to sea.
Meanwhile authorities in Haiti said there were more than 300 reported deaths.
"The storm has already killed people. We should expect the same impact in Florida," said Florida governor Rick Scott.
