Catastrophic storm now aiming at Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria intensified Monday evening to a powerful and dangerous Category 5 hurricane as it moves toward islands in the eastern Caribbean.

Forecasters warned it might become even stronger.

The National Hurricane Center says the eye wall of the storm moved onshore over Dominica about 9 p.m. Monday.

Today, it’s expected to brush past many of the islands already devastated by Hurricane Irma before approaching the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday, the Miamibased National Hurricane Center says.

It’s still too early to tell what kind of a threat Maria presents to Florida but most early forecast tracks show the storm veering away from Florida after brushing Hispaniola, the island that comprises Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Hurricane experts caution against putting too much trust in forecast models this early, given the high chance they’ll continue to change.

Maria’s maximum wind speeds intensified, reaching 160 mph by Monday night.

Just a day earlier, Maria was still a tropical storm, having intensified to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 75 mph on Sunday afternoon.

The current official forecast cone from the National Hurricane Center has Maria hitting Puerto Rico directly as a major hurricane on Wednesday.

“You have to evacuate. Otherwise you’re going to die,” said Hector Pesquera, Puerto Rico’s public safety commissioner. “I don’t know how to make this any clearer.”

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

Hurricane warnings — which mean hurricane conditions are expected within a given time frame, usually 36 to 48 hours — were in effect for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands as well as several other islands along the northeastern and eastern Caribbean.

The U.S. Virgin Islands as well as the British Virgin Islands were devastated by Hurricane Irma just two weeks ago.

Forecasters said storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet near Maria’s center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches of rain for some islands, with the possibility of higher amounts in isolated spot

Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose was about 230 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and nearly stationary, according to an 8 p.m. advisory. It is expected to head north and stay well clear of the U.S.

Jose’s maximum sustained winds Monday afternoon were 75 mph. If that speed drops to 74 mph or lower, Jose would be downgraded to a tropical storm.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Hull, Massachusetts, near Boston. Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard also were under that tropical storm warning.

Tropical Depression Lee, closer to the African coast, is not expected to be a threat to land and will likely dissipate soon, forecasters said.