Tropical Storm Matthew forms, could be a Hurricane by Friday

Tropical Storm Matthew formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 28, 2016 not far from the Caribbean Sea, and could become a hurricane by Friday. A graphic from the National Hurricane Center shows the projected path of the storm.

It was still too early to know if the storm would hit South Florida. But forecasters have said it's a possibility.

According to the hurricane center, Matthew was churning just east of the Caribbean Sea on Wednesday morning with maximum sustained wind speeds of 60 mph. The threshold for a hurricane is 74 mph.

The storm was expected to strengthen as it moves west through the Caribbean Sea, and by Friday, could be a Category 1 hurricane.

Storm specialists were forecasting that the storm would begin to turn north on Saturday, which puts Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba inside the cone that shows Matthew's projected path.

If it were to affect Florida at all, it wouldn't be until next week, forecasters say.