Hurricane Maria is currently located about 20 miles west-southwest of St Croix and about 85 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 165 mph, making it a category 5 hurricane. It is moving at 10mph in a west-northwesterly direction. The NOAA said: “On the forecast track, the eye of Maria will cross Puerto Rico today, and pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday. “Some fluctuations in intensity could occur before the hurricane reaches Puerto Rico, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane as it moves over Puerto Rico.

“Slow weakening is expected after the hurricane emerges over the Atlantic north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.” “Tropical storm conditions will continue in portions of the warning area in the Leeward Islands this morning. “Tropical storm and hurricane conditions are occurring over the Virgin Islands and will spread over Puerto Rico in the next few hours. “Hurricane conditions are expected within the Hurricane Warning area in the Dominican Republic tonight, with tropical storm conditions expected by later today.” Tornadoes are possible over Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands today.

A deadly storm surge accompanied by large waves will raise water levels by as much as 7 to 11 feet near the British Virgin Islands. Water levels will rise by as much as 4 to 6 feet in the hurricane warning area in the Dominican Republican and by 1 to 3 feet elsewhere along the northern coast of Hispaniola. In Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, water levels will rise by as much as 6 to 9 feet if the peak surge coincides with the high tide. Maria is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through Friday:
• Northern Leeward Islands from Barbuda to Anguilla...additional 3 to 6 inches.
• US and British Virgin Islands...additional 8 to 12 inches, isolated 16 inches.

Rainfall on all of these islands will cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Surf swells are affecting the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These swells will begin affecting the northern coast of Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Southeastern Bahamas during the next day or two. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for: </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) </s> 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> 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> Hurricane Maria’s winds hit a sustained 175 mph as the the storm rolled through the northeastern Caribbean in route toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Residents of the territories have been warned to prepare for the worst.

On Tuesday, the eye of Maria was seen moving towards St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. The Category 5 storm was 30 miles southeast of the island as of 23:00 EST Tuesday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center also says Maria is 120 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it is expected to make a direct hit Wednesday.

READ MORE: Maria makes landfall in Dominica as a 'potentially catastrophic' Category 5 hurricane

“The eye [of the storm] has rapidly intensified over the last 48 hours or so and it’s barreling toward the US Virgin Islands,” meteorologist Julie Phillips of WFLA said.

Extreme winds and rain pounded the Caribbean island of Dominica late on Monday, as Maria made landfall with 160 mph winds. The storm ripped off the roofs of houses as it pummeled the island as an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm, according to The National Hurricane Center.

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, described the storm’s winds as merciless, and said the roof of his house was blown off and his house was flooding in a post on Facebook. Skerrit later said he had been rescued from the situation.

Maria is the first Category 5 hurricane to hit Dominica in the island’s history, the Washington Post reported.

On Monday night, Maria quickly turned from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5, making it one of the fastest-growing storms in history, according to Mashable.

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for the Virgin Islands on Monday. This unlocked federal resources for the US territory and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to manage all recovery efforts in the area from then on out, according to the New York Post. </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> (SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — Hurricane Maria grew into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm Monday as it barreled toward a potentially devastating collision with islands in the eastern Caribbean, and forecasters warned it was likely to become even stronger.

The storm's eye was expected to pass near Dominica later in the day on a path that would take it near many of the islands already wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on toward a possible direct strike on Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

"This storm promises to be catastrophic for our island," said Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan. "All of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane force winds."

The U.S. territory imposed rationing of basic supplies including water, milk, baby formula, canned food, batteries and flashlights.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) in late afternoon. It was centered about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Martinique and 45 miles (70 kilometers) east-southeast of Dominica, and was heading west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).

The center said Maria would likely continue to gain strength for the next 24 hours or longer and could reach Category 5 status.

Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Anguilla.

Forecasters said storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

Officials in Dominica closed schools and government offices and urged people to evacuate and seek shelters.

"We should treat the approaching hurricane very, very seriously," Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said. "This much water in Dominica is dangerous."

The small, mountainous island could be in trouble even if spared the storm's strongest winds. In August 2015, Tropical Storm Erika unleashed flooding and landslides that killed 31 people and destroyed more than 370 homes.

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

In nearby Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should be prepared for power cuts and disruption in the water supply. All schools and non-essential public services were closed.

The storm's hurricane-force winds extended out about 25 miles (35 kilometers) from the eye, and tropical storm-force winds out as far as 125 miles (205 kilometers).

The current forecast track would carry it about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, according to territorial Gov. Kenneth Mapp.

"We are going to have a very, very long night," Mapp said as he urged people in the territory to finish any preparations.

St. Thomas and St. John are still recovering from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which did extensive damage and caused four deaths on the two islands.

Officials and islanders were also bracing in Puerto Rico, which did not take a direct hit from Irma but still saw blackouts across much of the territory. Nearly 70,000 people remain without power, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello warned that more widespread outages are likely with Maria.

Forecasters said the storm would dump up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain across Puerto Rico and whip the U.S. territory with heavy winds for 12 to 24 hours.

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

Traffic was heavy Monday as people rushed to buy last-minute items. Among them was 70-year-old retiree Rafael Rivera, who clutched a small bag of dog treats for his dog and six puppies at home.

"This storm is coming with some bad intentions," he said at a San Juan store where some shoppers grumbled about empty shelves.

Rossello said Puerto Rico had prepared about 450 shelters capable of taking in up to 125,000 people in a worst-case scenario. Nearly 200 people are still in shelters due to Hurricane Irma. Classes were cancelled and government employees were to work only a half-day.

Farther north, long-lived Hurricane Jose continued to head northward well away from the U.S. East Coast but causing dangerous surf and rip currents. It was not expected to make landfall, but a tropical storm warning was in effect for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Tropical storm watches were posted for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut.

Jose was centered about 250 miles (405 kilometers) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving north at 10 mph (17 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).

Seawater washed over parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks as Jose passed, and five people were knocked off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island by high surf caused by the storm. Officials said rescuers had to fight through rough surf to load the injured onto stretchers and get them to shore. All five were hospitalized.

In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Norma's threat to Mexico's Los Cabos resort area at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula eased as forecasters said it was moving away from shore and expected to weaken.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic and Hurricane Otis became a tropical storm far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land. </s> Category 5 Hurricane Maria is bearing down Puerto Rico less than two weeks after Hurricane Irma narrowly missed the US territory.

The NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the eye of hurricane will “pass near or over” the island tomorrow but the effects will begin to be felt tonight.

NHC forecaster Eric Blake tweeted: “Today is your last day to prepare Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands - Maria should be exceptionally powerful when it moves through on Wed.”

The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, told island residents: "It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or head to a state shelter." </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.

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Hurricane Maria reaches Category 5 as it threatens the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.