Terrifying skull-shaped satellite image shows deadly Hurricane Matthew preparing to hit America as east coast battens down the hatches
Governor Rick Scott warns his state to prepare for the deadly storm, which forecasters say is the worst to hit the Caribbean in ten years
TERRIFYING satellite images show skull-shaped Hurricane Matthew preparing to hit America, having already caused numerous deaths in the Caribbean islands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Residents in Florida have cleared supermarket shelves ahead of the arrival of the storm, after winds of nearly 150mph battered the islands.
The skull shaped satellite images appeared during a weather forecast yesterday, shocking viewers.
The harrowing image which resembles a grinning skull with a red eye was taken from a NASA satellite as the storm made landfall in Haiti.
Many online have taken the image as a bad omen.
The eye of the Category Four storm - which forecasters believe is the strongest to hit the region in ten years - is now heading towards Cuba and Florida.
Researchers have now warned that the storm could loop back and hit Florida twice.
The loop could be caused by the Fujiwhara effect - which occurs when two storms orbit other.
If it happens tropical storm Nicole - currently out in the Atlantic Ocean - could send Hurricane Matthew out to sea before it loops back to batter the Florida coast for a second time.
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Anxious Floridians emptied the shelves of supermarkets overnight as they prepared to wait out the coming storm.
Pictures of locals carrying giant trolleys full of essentials such as water and fuel emerged.
While many rushed to petrol stations to fill their car's petrol tanks one last time before landfall.
Florida governor Rick Scott was last night making last-minute preparations before the storm hit.
Speaking at Daytona Beach, he said: "We can rebuild your home, we can rebuild your business. We can't rebuild your life.
"We are preparing for the worst, hoping for the best and not taking any chances."
The storm had briefly reached a rating of five - the highest possible - but has since been downgraded to four.
North Carolina has also declared a state of emergency in the face of the coming storm.
Matthew has wreaked havoc in the Caribbean - being described as "catastrophic".
At least 11 have died in Haiti and neighbouring Dominican Republic.
Floodwaters are said to have reached shoulder-height in some coastal towns.
Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010 that is estimated to have killed at least 160,000 people.
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