Maria a growing threat to Irma-slammed Caribbean

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC — The hurricane-battered islands of the Caribbean prepared on Sunday to face yet another potential disaster, with forecasters saying that tropical storm Maria is likely to hit the Leeward Islands as a strengthening hurricane by Monday night.

Hurricane watches were in effect for many of the very islands still trying to cope with the devastation left by hurricane Irma, including St. Martin, St. Barts and Antigua and Barbuda.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria was likely to grow into a hurricane on Sunday and swell into major hurricane status by midweek as it heads for Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h Sunday afternoon.

It was centred about 650 kilometres southeast of the Lesser Antilles and was heading westnorthwest at 24 km/h.

The storm could make a direct hit on Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma, though power was knocked out to much of the island.

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

Meanwhile, long-lived hurricane Jose was moving northward off the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard, kicking up dangerous surf and rip currents.

But it wasn’t expected to make landfall.