Hurricane Matthew batters Florida

Lailoni Kent, 8, of Lake Worth, screams when the pull of the wave was stronger than she thought while playing on the beach and getting photos with her family on Lantana Beach while Hurricane Matthew created big waves Thursday in Lantana, Fla. (Greg Lovett/Palm Beach Post via AP)

Hurricane Matthew churned along Florida’s Atlantic coast Friday, looking increasingly like its center would remain just offshore as the storm battered the state with punishing rain, beach-swallowing sea surges and destructive wind gusts topping 100 mph. Even if Matthew avoids making landfall and Florida dodges some of the worst-case scenarios laid out by forecasters and public officials in recent days, it still poses a considerable threat to residents from Florida to North Carolina/Washington Post. More here.