Overnight, Hurricane Maria thrashed the island nation of Dominica with Category 5 force winds up to 160 mph.

Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, wrote on Facebook “Initial reports are of widespread devastation. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace. My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.”

Maria initially weakened to a Category 4 after passing through Dominica, but according to the latest updates from the National Hurricane Center, Maria has again strengthened to a Category 5.

Maria is set to hit the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning.

Conditions could be especially devastating for Puerto Rico, which is sheltering thousands of Caribbean residents who were displaced by Hurricane Irma.

Following Maria’s landfall on Puerto Rico, Maria is expected to take a northward turn. This turn would spare Florida entirely, but would increase the danger of her affecting the Carolina coast.

Meteorologists predict that if Maria does take this sharp of a northward turn, she could interact with Hurricane Jose, which has been circling in the upper Atlantic for days as a Category 1.

This interaction between hurricanes is called the Fujiwhara effect, named after the discoverer, Sakuhei Fujiwhara.

In this case, the Fujiwhara effect could cause a large hurricane, like Hurricane Maria, to absorb a smaller hurricane, like Jose.

While this mega hurricane sounds potentially disastrous, it would actually be good news.

As the two vortices orbit around each other, Maria could end up being thrown farther into the Atlantic, back towards Africa, sparing the mainland U.S. entirely.

While this would be a welcome scenario, it’s still too early to tell where Maria might turn and if this effect could occur.

As with Irma, we’ll just have to watch and wait.

Check back with Eagle News for the latest updates. </s> Hurricane Maria strengthened into a Category 3 storm on Monday and pushed toward the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, as forecasters warned it was expected to become a major hurricane by early Tuesday.

The storm was on a path that would take it near many of the islands already wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Maria could hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane, said Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan.

“This storm promises to be catastrophic for our island,” he said. “All of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane force winds.”

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph Monday morning. It was centered about 120 miles east-southeast of Dominica — or 85 miles east of Martinique — and heading west-northwest at 12 mph.

Hurricane warnings were posted for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Martinique and St. Lucia. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten.

Forecasters said hurricane conditions should begin to affect parts of the Leeward Islands by Monday night, with storm surge raising water levels by 4 to 6 feet near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

Officials in Guadeloupe said the French Caribbean island would experience extremely heavy flooding starting Monday afternoon, and they warned that many communities would be submerged overnight.

On Wednesday, Maria was expected to be near or over Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma, although much of the island had its power knocked out. Nearly 70,000 people remain without power, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello on Monday warned of another widespread outage.

“We have an extremely weak infrastructure that has already been hit by one storm,” he said. “This is going to be a catastrophic event.”

Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power in Puerto Rico immediately after the storm.

Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people — or even 125,000 in an emergency. Schools were canceled for Monday and government employees would work only a half day.

Officials in the Dominican Republic urged people to leave areas prone to flooding and said fishermen should remain in port.

Farther north, long-lived Hurricane Jose continued to head north off the U.S. East Coast, causing dangerous surf and rip currents. It wasn't expected to make landfall, but tropical storm watches were posted along the coast from Delaware to Massachusetts' Cape Cod.

Jose was centered about 270 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving north at 9 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Norma's threat to Mexico's Los Cabos resort area at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula seemed to ease as forecasters said the storm's center was likely to remain offshore.

Norma had winds of about 50 mph and was centered about 160 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The Baja California Sur state government prepared storm shelters and canceled classes for Monday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic while Hurricane Otis weakened far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land.

8:25 a.m.: This story has been updated with Maria’s upgrade to a Category 3 storm.

This story originally published at 7:25 a.m. </s> Hurricane Maria is forecast to rapidly strengthen over the next two days as it takes aim at Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just days ago.

“Significant strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane before it moves through the Leeward Islands,” according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest update.

In its 5 a.m. update, the hurricane center placed Maria about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Martinique and about 130 miles (215 east-southeast) of Dominica.

The storm is currently a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph, and is forecast to continue moving toward the eastern Caribbean at 13 mph.

“Maria is likely to be at category 3 or 4 intensity by the time it moves into the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea,” the center said in its forecast.

Maria is one of three storms churning in the Atlantic Ocean, but it poses the most danger to the hurricane-battered Caribbean.

“On the forecast track, the center of Maria will move across the Leeward Islands late today (Monday) and tonight and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday and Tuesday night,” the NHC said.

Maria has prompted a hurricane warning for Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Lucia. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds.

A hurricane watch has now been extended to Puerto Rico and its islands Vieques and Culebra. A watch was earlier put in place for the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barthelemy and Anguilla — many of which were devastated when Irma blew through the Caribbean, killing 44 people. A hurricane watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds.

Torrential rainfall could cause deadly flash flooding and mudslides on islands that it crosses. Maria could dump 6 to 12 inches of rain across the Leeward Islands — including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands — through Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose has weakened slightly as it churns north, but is sill threatening “dangerous surf and rip currents” along the US East Coast in the next few days, the hurricane center said.

Early Monday, the Category 1 hurricane was about 280 miles (450 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving north at 9 mph.

“Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 85 mph (140 km/h) with higher gusts. Some gradual weakening is expected during the next couple of days, however, Jose is forecast to remain a hurricane through Tuesday,” the NHC said.

While the center of Jose is expected to stay off from the US East Coast, “swells generated by Jose are affecting Bermuda, the Bahamas, and much of the US east coast,” the NHC said.

“These swells are likely to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions for the next several days in these areas.”

Tropical storm watches are in place for portions of the eastern coast of the US stretching between Delaware and Massachusetts.

The hurricane center said that Jose would produce heavy rain as it passes near southern New England and the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that based on current forecasting the risk of flooding would be “limited in scope.”

Lee, the third storm in the Atlantic, fizzled from a tropical storm to a tropical depression Sunday, the hurricane center said.

As of Monday morning, Lee was about 1,060 miles (1,710 kilometers) west of Cape Verde.

Lee’s maximum sustained winds have sputtered to 35 mph, and are expected to further weaken in the coming days. </s> The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all travel to the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and Anguilla as islanders prepare for another battering. Members of the UK task force set to region in the wake of Hurricane Irma described the threat from Maria as “very real”. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Maynard, commanding officer of 40 Commando Royal Marines, said the monitoring equipment to keep track of hurricanes is currently out of action on Tortola. And as Maria threatens to strike British Overseas Territories, he said: “We are relying on other overseas territories and the US to just monitor that, the threat is very real.”

Lieut Col Maynard said debris left by Irma posed a major problem as another hurricane is "just going to pick all that up, spin it around and throw it like ammunition everywhere". He said: “It could cause potentially more casualties and fatalities than Irma did.” US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters said the weather front is predicted to become a Category 2 hurricane, with winds of up to 110mph set to lash islands in its path.

An NHC spokesman said: “Additional rapid strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane before it moves through the Leeward Islands.” Maria is expected to make landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday with severe damage and coastal flooding expected. Up to 12 inches of rain is predicted, with "isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches" expected to hit the British Virgin Islands through Wednesday night. In Anguilla, a maximum amount of up to eight inches could fall. The NHC has warned "rainfall on these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides".

Chris Austin from the Department for International Development, who is leading the UK's response to the the devastation left by Hurricane Irma, said the Joint Task Force is anticipating having to provide further short term relief as Maria edges closer. He said they have already provided 75 tonnes of aid - including shelter kits, food and water - but warned the 5,000 tarpaulins already distributed could be lost in the new weather front. Mr Austin said: “We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst, we need to demonstrate our own resilience because there could be some pretty sharp backwards steps I think.”

Speaking from the British Virgin Islands, Brigadier John Ridge, the second in command of the Joint Task Force, said: "Even with an hour of rain here at the moment, it runs straight off as there is no vegetation. "Normally it would get absorbed by the leaves, that's not there, and the storm drains which then divert the flow have all been blocked by the detritus that have run off the hills." He said additional reserve troops will be sent to the British Virgin Islands, but defended his decision to put troops potentially in harm's way, stating it is a "risk worth taking" because it ensures "extra capacity" to deal with any immediate problems in the aftermath. Brig Ridge said: ”Once the hurricane is through we can leap back into action, we have got the guys positioned in the right place so they are ready to react.” </s> MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Maria has intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm as it bears down on the Caribbean.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Monday the storm is growing in strength as it approaches land. The eye of the storm is expected to pass near the island of Dominica on Monday evening.

The center called the storm “extremely dangerous,” with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph).

At 5 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 45 miles (70 kilometers) east-southeast of Dominica.

A Hurricane warning has been issued for Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook </s> Hurricane Maria is set to hit many of the same Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just two weeks ago. Maria, a Category 1 hurricane, has prompted hurricane warnings for several Caribbean islands as the storm strengthens while hurtling toward the Leeward Islands. Shock Hurricane Maria forecast from CBS Miami chief meteorologist Greg Setzer said the storm’s path could shift toward the US if it experiences a “big disruption” while surging through the Caribbean. While showing terrifying spaghetti models skirting toward the Miami on the US coast in Florida, Setzer says: “How the land interacts with the storm will be a player in what happens with our weather here, or, maybe, our potential impacts.

“There are pretty light steering currents here, but if there’s a big disruption to the storm itself, it may move a little more west. “I’m not saying it’s coming to Florida, all of the models are to our east and this solution is probably the most likely solution, but we still can’t rule out us having to watch it here.” The latest NOAA National Hurricane Center 7am update says the eye of Hurricane Maria has appeared on Guadeloupe and Martinique’s radar, as well as a Barbados radar.

There is a tropical storm warning in place for Barbados, which has been spared so far during this hurricane season. Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique are expected to feel the worst of the hurricane’s effects and are subject to hurricane warnings.” Hurricane Maria could be “catastrophic” for Puerto Rico, according to NBC metrologist Bill Karins, who says it could receive a direct hit from the storm.

He said: “There’s an excellent chance that Maria will be a major hurricane very close to Puerto Rico in 48 hours.” Karins also noted Puerto Rico has not been hit by a major Category 4 or 5 hurricane since 1928. He tweeted: “Overnight model line paths of Maria have shifted slightly west toward the Virgin Islands, too early to know who will get hit harder.” </s> Sept 20 (Reuters) - Maria, which weakened into a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, could regain major hurricane status by Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory.

Catastrophic flash flooding was occurring over portions of Puerto Rico with conditions now deteriorating over the eastern Dominican Republic, the NHC said.

The hurricane was about 25 miles (45 km) north northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 km per hour), the Miami-based NHC said. Any hurricane with top sustained winds of at least 111 is classified as major. (Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Brown) </s> The Caribbean is preparing for an “extremely dangerous” major hurricane less than two weeks after Irma struck the region, devastating entire islands, flattening homes and buildings, and killing more than 30 people.

The National Hurricane Center on Monday night upgraded Hurricane Maria to a Category 4 storm packing 130-mile-per-hour winds with stronger gusts. “Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 to 36 hours, and Maria is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane during the next couple of days,” the center said in its latest advisory.

The eye of the hurricane is expected to reach the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico Monday night, according to the latest forecasts. The Leeward Islands include the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the two-island state of Antigua and Barbuda, the British territory of Anguilla, and other islands. Many are still assessing the damage of Hurricane Irma, which hit as a Category 5 earlier this month.

Storm advisories are in effect around the region. Hurricane Maria will bring storm surge “accompanied by large and destructive waves” that will raise water levels by as much as six feet to nine feet. The storm is expected to drop six inches to 12 inches of rain in the central and southern Leeward Islands with some spots getting as much as 20 inches. Between two and four inches are expected in the rest of the islands, including Barbuda and Anguilla, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Rainfall on all of these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” the center said. </s> Maria, which weakened into a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, could regain major hurricane status by Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory.

Catastrophic flash flooding was occurring over portions of Puerto Rico with conditions now deteriorating over the eastern Dominican Republic, the NHC said.

The hurricane was about 25 miles (45 km) north northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 km per hour), the Miami-based NHC said. Any hurricane with top sustained winds of at least 111 is classified as major. 

 

 

 (Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Brown)
Hurricane Maria has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued in parts of the Caribbean. It is following a path similar to Category 5 Hurricane Irma which left at least 82 dead.