Hurricane Maria aims at Caribbean

Some islands have already been hit by Irma

Tropical Storm Maria officially grew into a hurricane late Sunday afternoon, taking aim at already battered islands in the Caribbean amid growing concerns that Florida could become a long-term target.

The National Hurricane Center said Maria had winds of 75 mph as of 5 p.m. EDT Sunday, making it a Category 1 hurricane. Maria is the seventh hurricane of the 2017 hurricane season.

The storm was about 140 miles east-northeast of Barbados and 275 miles from the island of Dominica. It was moving west-northwest at about 15 mph.

Forecasters said Dominica and Guadeloupe are probably facing a Category 2 hurricane, with sustained winds of 96-110 mph, Monday night and Tuesday.

“It is moving along very quickly, which is concerning,” AccuWeather meteorologist Dave Samuhel said. “They are going to have a direct hit from a hurricane. The question is how strong will it be?”

By Wednesday, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are among the islands likely to take the hit.

“A little less confidence about its track, but I would say be prepared for a major hurricane, a glancing blow if not full landfall,” Samuhel said. “And it will likely be a stronger hurricane by at least a category.”

In Puerto Rico, schools were already closed for Monday, government workers were told to work just half a day, and 450 shelters capable of housing 67,000 people — and almost twice that in a dire emergency — were being prepared.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the island is ready to provide food for up to 20 days to up to 240,000 evacuees if necessary. The island has a fragile electrical grid, and much of its housing falls below standard code. The island avoided a direct hit from Hurricane Irma but still suffered massive power outages.

While Maria does not pose an imminent threat to Florida, still reeling from the carnage wrought by Hurricane Irma, Samuhel said forecasters are watching closely. Maria is forecast to reach the Bahamas next weekend, putting it close to Florida’s eastern coast.

Hurricane Jose appears to have peaked in strength, with sustained winds of 90 mph, and should weaken as it rolls north, away from the U.S. East Coast. Swells driven by Jose are already causing dangerous rip currents along the Southern coastline, a phenomenon that will move north in coming days, he said.