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Fort Lauderdale International Airport will be closed Thursday from 10am
Miami closed from midday while Orlando will be closed starting 8pm
Fort Lauderdale shut up shop after reporting a wind gust of 59mph
Amtrak is temporarily suspending services in the south
Cruise lines are shuffling ship itineraries and diverting course

By Hannah Parry For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 06:39 EST, 6 October 2016 | Updated: 00:39 EST, 7 October 2016

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More than 3,800 flights have been canceled, Amtrak services have been suspended and streets are gridlocked as the US braces itself for Hurricane Matthew.

The dangerous storm, which has already killed at least 340 people in the Caribbean, made landfall on the Sunshine State late on Thursday.

Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airports halted operations earlier on Thursday.

Fort Lauderdale experienced a wint gust of 59mph as rain starting sweeping over South Florida.Airports typically shut down their operations when crosswinds exceed 30mph.

Orlando International Airport closed to commercial flights starting at 8pm on Thursday.

Amtrak is also temporarily suspending services in the south due to severe weather impacting the east coast of Florida.

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Close for business: There were no lines to board flights at Palm Beach International airport today after flights in and out were cancelled

Ticketing machines are covered in plastic and flights in and out of the Palm Beach International airport; More than 3,800 flights have been cancelled

The Silver Star 91 & 92 (New York City to Miami), Silver Meteor 97 & 98 (Miami to New York City), and the Auto Train 52 & 53 (Lorton, Va., to Sanford, Florida) services have all been cancelled for Thursday and Friday. No alternative service will run.

The Jacksonville International Airport website also advises travelers to check flight status with the airlines before heading to the airport. While the Palm Beach International Airport website doesn't say when flights will be suspended, but asked travelers to stay away, noting that the airport is not intended for use as a shelter.

American Airlines, South Florida’s largest carrier, has already canceled most flights slated to depart Thursday from Florida's main airports.

The dangerous storm, which has already killed at least 340 people across the Caribbean, is set to make landfall in the Sunshine State today, before moving up the East Coast

Hurricane Matthew is seen approaching the East Coast of the United States in this image from NOAA's GOES-East satellite taken October 6

Limited departures took off before noon Thursday, but all other departures are canceled thereafter, said Alexis Aran Coello, a spokeswoman for the airline.

Most airlines, including the likes of American Airlines and Delta, are letting fliers change to a later flight with no penalty.

Policies vary by airline, but passengers heading to or from most airports in the Southeast can essentially move to any flight within the next week or so for free, although a difference in fare may apply in some cases.

Cruise lines are shuffling ship itineraries as PortMiami, PortEverglades and the PortMiami Tunnel were shut down.

Ships already at sea have been rerouted to the western Caribbean, such as the Carnival Elation — which is currently in the middle of a five-day cruise — which will skip Half Moon Cay and Nassau in the Bahamas, adding in an extra day at sea and an extra day in Key West, Florida. The Carnival Conquest skipped a stop in the Dominican Republic for an extra day at sea.

Other cruises have been delayed or have reduced scheduled to try and avoid the worst of the storm.

Disney meanwhile has announced that all its theme parks and properties would close at 5pm on Thursday in preparation for the storm.

Disney has closed three previous times for hurricanes, back in 1999 for Floyd and twice in 2004 for Frances and Jeanne.

Universal Orlando is also closed Friday while Sea World Orlando will shut at 2pm and all day Friday.

The powerful hurricane intensified into a 'catastrophic' category-four hurricane on Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center with maximum sustained winds of 140mph and gusts of 165mph.

Flights are cancelled, Amtrak services are suspended and streets are gridlocked as Florida braces itself for the deadly Hurricane Matthew (A man looks at a board announcing all the cancelled flights at Lynden Pindling Airport in the Bahamas due to Hurricane Matthew)

Amtrak is also temporarily suspending services in the south due to severe weather impacting the east coast of Florida (stock image of Amtrak Silver Star at Orlando Station)