Minute-by-minute: Hurricane Matthew moves through Georgia coast

Hurricane Matthew is packing heavy rain and winds of over 100 mph as it moves along the Georgia coast.

[READ: Hurricane Matthew leaving heavy rain, flooding along Georgia coast]

Gov. Nathan Deal activated 1,000 members of the National Guard who are tasked with helping local municipalities keep order as Hurricane Matthew moves up the Georgia coast. %

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Channel 2 Action News has crews spread out across the Georgia and Florida coasts. Stay with WSBTV.com and watch Severe Weather Team 2 coverage throughout the day on Channel 2 Action News.

The latest track of the Category 2 storm now puts it about 56 miles off the coast of Georgia when it makes its way along the state late Friday night, early Saturday morning.

Follow our minute-by-minute coverage on Hurricane Matthew here:

8:33 p.m.

Georgia Power reports restoring power to more than 100,000 customers following Hurricane Matthew. As of 8 p.m. Saturday, there are more than 200,000 customers without power in Georgia.

2:52 p.m. 

Hurricane Matthew blamed for nine deaths in the US.

2:46 p.m.

Additional members of Georgia's National Guard have been activated, and are moving to help areas affected by Hurricane Matthew.

11:05 a.m.

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Matthew has made landfall. The center said in a news release Saturday morning that the storm's center made landfall just southeast of the town of McClellanville. The NHC says a "serious inland flooding event" is taking place.

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7:50 a.m.

GDOT crews head out to assess areas impacted by Hurricane Matthew. They will focus on bridge inspections, roadway assessments and debris removal.

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7:37 a.m.

Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings canceled for parts of Southeast Georgia as Hurricane Matthew moves away.

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6:49 a.m.

Officials say 80% of Chatham County, Georgia is without power.

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6:45 a.m.

The northern eyewall of Hurricane Matthew moves over Charleston. Storm surge improves in Southeast Georgia.

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6:30 a.m.

The National Weather Service says "life-threatening inundation still expected across upper Georgia and lower South Carolina coasts."

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6:20 a.m.

Charleston, South Carolina has gotten more than 5 inches of rain as the eyewall moves onshore.

Georgia Power customers are experiencing widespread outages throughout Southeast Georgia.

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4:25 a.m.

Hurricane Matthew is making itself felt in South Carolina. Hurricane-force winds are moving onshore at Hilton Head and Pritchards Island, South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center reports. At least one wind gust of 61 mph (98 kph) was recorded at Beaufort, South Carolina. Matthew remains a Category 2 hurricane and is moving north off the coast, centered about 30 miles (130 km) south-southwest of Hilton Head.

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2 a.m.

Hurricane Matthew continues to move north off the Georgia coast and its center is forecast to move near or over the South Carolina coast Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center reports. The Category 2 hurricane will near North Carolina's southern coast by Saturday night, the center says. Matthew has sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), and is 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of Hilton Head, South Carolina. It is moving north about 12 mph (19 kph).

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9:50 p.m.

Gov. Deal activates 1,000 additional members of the National Guard to assist emergency response to Hurricane Matthew.

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8:54 p.m. Hurricane Matthew moves along Georgia coast.

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7:53 p.m. Georgia Power provides update on outages across the state.

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7:40 p.m. Channel 2's Richard Elliot says parts of downtown Savannah are in darkness.

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6:35 p.m. Georgia Power announced it is mobilizing nearly 5,000 personnel to respond to Hurricane Matthew.

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5:55 p.m. Outer bands of Hurricane Matthew bringing rain to metro Atlanta.

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5:50 p.m. Video shows a piece breaking off the pier in Jacksonville Beach as Matthew moves through the area.

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5:37 p.m. Chatham County has suspended EMS and fire services as conditions worsen in the area.

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5:30 p.m. Nearly 700,000 Florida residents are without power as Matthew moves through.

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5:15 p.m. The American Red Cross has mobilized more than 1,800 people to help in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

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5 p.m. Updated track of Hurricane Matthew shows it making an abrupt turn after Savannah.

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4:51 p.m. Hurricane Matthew weakens to a Category 2. It now has sustained winds of 110 mph and gusts up to 130 mph. Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Katie Walls says the strongest winds will be tonight along GA coast.

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4:50 p.m. Photos show St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach areas hit hard by flooding.

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4:45 p.m. Savannah officials say in news conference that tornadoes have touched down in the area.

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4:30 p.m. Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brad Nitz says the ocean rise will peak at 6 to 9 feet in some spots along the Georgia coast.

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4:15 p.m. Conditions worsening along the Georgia coast. Channel 2's Ross Cavitt says streets are flooding and several roads are closing in the area.

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4:00 p.m. According to our sister station WFTV, at least one person has died in the storm in Florida. Officials told them the woman went out to feed her animals and was killed by a falling tree.

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3:44 p.m. Brunswick police say they are no longer responding to calls because of worsening conditions in the area.

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3:30 p.m. Reports of flooding continue across the Georgia coast.

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3:10 p.m. Photos sent to our sister station WFTV shows roads washing out as Hurricane Matthew moves along the Florida coast.

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3 p.m. Parts of coastal Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina could see up to 15 inches of rain.

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2:53 p.m. Parts of the Georgia coast are already experiencing major flooding.

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2:45 p.m. Conditions worsening on Georgia coast. People who stayed advised to shelter in place.

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2:30 p.m. Tornado warning issued in Chatham County.

2:20 p.m. Coastal Georgia officials warn that winds are picking up in the area.

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2:15 p.m. St.Augustine and Jacksonville areas are being hit hard. Water is beginning to pour into the streets in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

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2 p.m. Winds decrease slightly. Maximum winds are now reaching 115 mph.

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1:50 p.m. Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan says hurricane-force winds are possible directly along the Georgia coastline.

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1:30 p.m. Emergency officials warn of tornado warnings popping up as Hurricane Matthew moves up towards the Georgia coast.

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1:10 p.m. Georgia DOT warns that the rain is picking up in coastal Georgia as the hurricane moves up the Florida coast. It is expected to move across the state line around 8 p.m. with 115 mph winds. It's projected path has it staying off the coast of Georgia.

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1:05 p.m. Contra flow is ending on I-16, but eastbound lanes will remain closed from Statesboro to Savannah.

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1 p.m. Georgia officials sending warnings to those who decided to stay and ride out the storm.

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12:45 p.m. 1,000 National Guardsmen are on active duty in Georgia right now and more will be brought in to help with potential rescues after the hurricane hits.

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12:40 p.m. GEMA warns that emergency response could take up to 72 hours after Matthew hits. The director says they will not send first responders out in conditions that put them in danger.

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12:35 p.m. GEMA director says 9,000 people are in shelters in Georgia right now.

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12:30 p.m. Gov. Nathan Deal holds news conference about Hurricane Matthew.

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12:20 p.m. Talmadge Bridge in Savannah closes. GEMA director says bridges will have to be reinspected before reopening.

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12:15 p.m. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says the forecast for the state appears to have gotten worse. At a news conference Friday, Haley warned residents that South Carolina is now looking at major winds, major storm surges, and flooding that could compare to the historic floods of last October.

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11:38 a.m. Channel 2's Richard Elliot says lots of people still on Tybee Island despite the governor's mandatory evacuation order yesterday. All emergency responders left Tybee Island earlier Friday as increasingly heavy rains at high tide threatened to flood the only road to the mainland. Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman was taking names of people believed to remain on the island and had police officers calling them. "This is what happens when you don't get hit by a hurricane for 100 years."

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11:25 a.m. Florida officials warning that once bridges close, they will not reopen until at least Saturday morning.

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11:20 a.m. Reporters from our sister station in Jacksonville reporting major flooding.

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11:15 a.m. U.S. Coast Guard closes Port of Charleston as Matthew approaches South Carolina. No vessels can leave Charleston or enter the port.

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11:10 a.m. Updated track shows hurricane will be just off the coast of Georgia around 8 p.m. Friday with 115 mph winds.

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11:00 a.m. More than 4,500 flights have been canceled between Wednesday and Saturday because of Hurricane Matthew, according to the Associated Press. All flights to Orlando have been canceled Friday and half on Saturday.

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10:50 a.m. Some parts of Florida have already received more than 7 inches of rain.

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10:42 a.m. Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologists Karen Minton and Brad Nitz answer questions about Hurricane Matthew.

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10:40 a.m. President Obama holds news conference about Hurricane Matthew. "This is still a really dangerous Hurricane," he said "Those of you living in Georgia should be paying attention."

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10:35 a.m. Gov. Nathan Deal expected to hold a news conference about Hurricane Matthew at 12:30 p.m.

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10:30 a.m. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is cautioning Floridians that Hurricane Matthew could still do substantial damage before it passes by the northeast end of the state. Scott said the hurricane "still has time to do a direct hit" and he remarked that "the worst part of this is yet to come."

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10:15 a.m. GDOT announces that the Talmadge Memorial Bridge in Savannah will close at 12 p.m. due to the anticipated gale-force winds.

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9:55 a.m. Winds reaching up to 120 mph causing choppy, rough waters along the coast.

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9:30 a.m. GDOT announced it will close the Sidney Lanier Bridge at 10 a.m. The bridge will remain closed until the strong winds subside. The bridge is a primary route to the Golden Isles -- including Jekyll Island, Sea Island, St. Simons Island and Little St. Simons Island -- from Interstate 95.

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9:15 a.m. NASA reports mostly minor damage to the Kennedy Space Center from earlier Friday morning. They say there has also been power outages and loss of AC and water pressure.

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8:45 a.m. Rains from the outer bans of Hurricane Matthew are already spinning onto the Georgia and South Carolina coast.

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group