Obama scraps Fla. rally for Clinton due to hurricane

President Obama’s stop in South Florida on Wednesday to stump for Hillary Clinton has been postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, her campaign said. 

Obama was scheduled to appear at a rally in Miami Gardens. But it was deemed to be too dangerous with Matthew expected to wreak havoc in the area.

{mosads}The storm made landfall in Haiti on Tuesday morning with winds gusting up to 145 miles per hour. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency, warning the storm “could bring devastation to Florida [that] we haven’t seen in years.”

Matthew could hit Florida as early as Wednesday.

The battleground state rally was scheduled at a crucial juncture in the campaign, with five weeks until Election Day. Florida’s voter registration deadline is Oct. 11.

Obama also postponed a planned speech on his healthcare law in Tampa on Wednesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

Earnest said rescheduling the Florida events “will be determined by the impact of the storm and other elements of the president’s schedule.” 

The president received a briefing on the hurricane Tuesday morning and directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ready response efforts in the region. 

In lieu of traveling to Florida, Obama will pay a visit to FEMA headquarters in Washington to receive another update and speak to officials preparing for the storm. 

It’s not the first time that external events have forced the president to scrap campaign travel. 

Obama’s first joint appearance with Clinton in Wisconsin in mid-June was postponed after a shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The president finally joined Clinton on the stump on July 5 in Charlotte.

Updated at 12:52 p.m.