Hurricane Matthew's continued march north through the Caribbean spurred national parks in the Southeastern United States to plan closures if the storm stays on track. Biscayne and Everglades national parks in south Florida both planned to shut down late Tuesday afternoon, while national seashores along North Carolina's Outer Banks were preparing to close if needed on Wednesday.

At Biscayne, the storm could interrupt the annual, and highly popular, Columbus Day weekend festivities that lure hundreds of boaters to the park. 

"Boaters who planned to be in the park for Columbus Day weekend should reconsider such plans. Not only is Columbus Day weekend the most dangerous weekend of the year for park boaters, but the aftermath of a hurricane is often as deadly as the storm itself," a park release said. "Dangers include hazardous marine debris, damaged facilities, navigation aids and communications services, washed-out bridges and roads, limited emergency services, power outages, flooding and more."

Biscayne officials planned to shutter their park at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday because of the hurricane.  The Dante Fascell Visitor Center was being closed, along with park islands including Boca Chita Key, Elliott Key and Adams Key. The closure was to remain in effect until further notice.

Park waters would remain open for vessel transit only. Any vessels in transit in the park should use extreme caution, park officials said, as "severe thunderstorms, rainfall and hurricane force winds are likely even if Matthew stays off shore."

Biscayne employees were shuttering buildings, securing property including boats and vehicles and making other preparations for strong winds, storms and heavy rainfall. 

Everglades National Park officials planned to close their park at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Farther up the coast, the Outer Banks Group in North Carolina was closely monitoring the hurricane's path. Regional forecasts Tuesday morning showed that the hurricane would "approach and impact the Outer Banks at the end of this week. Park staff at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial are currently preparing for potential storm impacts."

At Cape Lookout National Seashore, officials issued a mandatory evacuation of visitors from their barrier islands.

"Hurricane Matthew is forecast to be a Category Two Hurricane. The National Weather Service is forecasting the North Carolina coast to experience significant impacts. Hurricane force winds could begin as early as Friday and continue throughout the weekend," a park release said. "The amount of rain we receive will largely depend on the exact track and forward speed of Matthew. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding are possible. Currently, there is a small craft advisory in effect due to strong northeast winds and seas of 5 to 8 feet. Marine conditions will deteriorate rapidly moving into the weekend. As Matthew approaches, the threat of rip currents will increase to ‘High’ across the area. Due to storm conditions, Cape Lookout National Seashore is issuing a mandatory evacuation order for the park. Effective immediately, no vehicles should be delivered to the park. The vehicle ferries shall immediately begin to remove visitors and vehicles from the islands. The goal is to get everyone off as soon as possible. The cabins will be closed on Wednesday. Day users (without vehicles) are still allowed to travel to the islands for today."

At Cape Hatteras, officials planned to notify campers at Cape Point, Frisco, Oregon Inlet, and Ocracoke campgrounds Tuesday afternoon of the projected path and possible impacts of Hurricane Matthew. All Seashore campgrounds were operating on a one-day availability basis.

Based on the forecast, visitor services on Ocracoke Island may be suspended on Wednesday, and visitor services may be suspended on Hatteras Island, Bodie Island, at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and at Wright Brothers National Memorial on Thursday. Additional information would be sent out once Outer Banks Group management has made a determination based on current storm forecasts. The parks’ social media sites on Facebook and Twitter would also be updated with current information.

Daily beach access ramp status updates are posted on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Facebook page.

With the approaching storm, seashore officials said there is a moderate-to-high risk of dangerous rip currents along Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches. A high risk of rip currents will continue throughout the storm period.