Hurricane Matthew batters Florida

Hurricane Matthew, which killed at least 339 people in Haiti on its destructive march north through the Caribbean, lashed Florida early Friday with heavy rains and winds.

The hurricane is the first major storm of its type threatening a direct hit on the United States in over 10 years.

Early today, winds of 70 miles per hour and heavy downpours hit coastal communities in Florida as it moved parallel to and just offshore of the east coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Some 300,000 Florida households lost power.

Read more from Reuters.