Hurricane is growing

Caribbean islands issue warnings

Maria builds as Irma victims return to the Keys

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

The National Hurricane Center said Maria had winds of

80 mph as of 8 p.m. ET Sunday, making it a Category 1 hurricane. Maria is the seventh hurricane of the 2017 hurricane season.

The storm was about 125 miles east northeast of Barbados and

255 miles from the island of Dominica. It moved west northwest at about 15 mph.

The government of Antigua and Barbuda issued a Hurricane Warning for St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat on Sunday and a Tropical Storm Warning for Antigua and Barbuda.

A Hurricane Watch was issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the British Virgin Islands.

Forecasters said Dominica and Guadeloupe will probably face 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 closed for Monday, government workers were told to work half a day, and 450 shelters capable of housing 67,000 people — and almost twice that in a dire emergency — were prepared.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the island was 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 suffered massive power outages.

Rossello tweeted, “In prep for the passage of potential hurricane #Maria, thanks to @FEMA_Brock & @WhiteHouse for letting #PuertoRico know they stand by us.”

Though 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 dangerously close to Florida’s eastern coast.