Hurricane Maria threatens Caribbean

Lee diminishes Sunday to a tropical depression

As expected, Tropical Storm Maria strengthened into a hurricane Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Maria, which is forecast to become a “major hurricane,” has sustained winds up to 85 mph and higher gusts. It’s continuing a westward path toward the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico and is 100 miles northeast of Barbados.

Hurricane-force conditions extend 15 miles from the storm’s center, forecasters said.

It is expected to strengthen as it makes its way west, forcing Caribbean islands to prepare for its arrival even as they recover from the destruction Hurricane Irma left behind a week ago.

“It’s impacting some of the same locations [as Hurricane Irma],” National Weather Service meteorologist Jerry Combs said. “It looks like it’s a little further south than Irma was.”

Officials say it could be a major hurricane when it arrives near the Leeward Islands tonight.

Combs said it is way too early to predict what kind of impact — if any — the storm will have on Florida, but is expected to approach Puerto Rico Wednesday night or Thursday morning as a Category 3 hurricane.

“It will be in an environment with low shear and warm ocean temperatures,” Combs said. “The official track takes it very, very close to Puerto Rico.”

Rosalina Vázquez, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Juan, said the eye of the storm is expected to travel over or north of the island.

Vázquez said forecasters measured wind gusts of up to 114 mph in the small island of Culebra during Hurricane Irma, which didn’t directly hit Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican authorities have already begun preparations for the passage of Hurricane Maria. More than 400 shelters have been set up across the territory, with capacity for 67,714 people, officials announced Sunday. Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said schools would close today, and government employees would work until noon.

Multiple islands are under a hurricane watch, including St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis.

Dominica, Guadeloupe and St. Kitts are among island nations under a hurricane warning.

Meanwhile, what was Tropical Storm Lee diminished to a tropical depression Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s not expected to have any impact in the United States.

It remains in the Atlantic, 910 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands and moving at 8 mph, forecasters said.