So far, meteorologists are charting that Hurricane Matthew will strike the central part of Florida on Friday morning, and make its way up off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina before it turns back around on Sunday. From there its projected course could go southward between the southern end of Florida and some of the Caribbean islands such as The Bahamas.

So far.

Here in Western Tidewater we can count ourselves fortunate that we might well be spared the brunt of the hurricane. But again, don’t be surprised if the weathermen start to see Matthew moving northward. There are limits to how accurate predictions can be when it comes to nature.

We all should be keeping an eye on this storm, but not panicking that world’s end is upon us as some TV stations might want us to think.

There are still several more weeks for the hurricane season. When — not if — such a storm hits our region, then we’ll do well to follow directions from emergency services or even an order from the governor to evacuate.

Meanwhile, the people in Florida who will be affected this weekend will need our prayers.