145 MPH CATEGORY 4 MONSTER: Hurricane Matthew Bears Down On U.S. After Killing Dozens In Caribbean.... Millions of people in the southeastern U.S. have been urged to evacuate.

 10/05/2016 08:01 pm ET

(Reuters) - The fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade slammed into the Bahamas early on Thursday, intensifying as it barreled towards the southeast U.S. coast where a mass exodus was under way with millions heeding warnings to flee inland.

Roadways in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina were packed and gas stations and food stores ran out of supplies as Hurricane Matthew approached, packing storm surges, heavy rain and sustained winds that accelerated overnight to around 125 miles (205 km) per hour.

Matthew, which killed at least 26 people and damaged swathes of homes in southern Haiti, was predicted to strengthen from a Category 3 to 4 storm en route to eastern Florida. 

Landfall was expected there on Thursday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, extending its hurricane warning area further north into Georgia in its 6 a.m. EST.

“Everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit,” Florida Gov. Rick Scotttold a news conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday. “If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic and you need to be prepared.” more