Hurricane Maria, the powerful Category 5 storm that already ravaged Dominica, is “expected to pass the U.S. Virgin Islands tonight and over Puerto Rico on Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center said late Tuesday afternoon.
It briefly downgraded to a Category 4 storm Monday night after it hit the Caribbean island but had elevated again to the strongest hurricane classification by Tuesday.
As Maria continues in the Atlantic Ocean, it threatens Caribbean islands already left devastated by Hurricane Irma a few weeks ago. A hurricane warning has been issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands where many people have been left without food, water or shelter.
Below is what you should know about Maria’s path.
Where is Maria today?
Hurricane Maria is about 80 miles southeast of Saint Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 175 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET advisory Tuesday.
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The storm is traveling west-northwest at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
What else should I know about the hurricane?
Maria is on a similar path as Hurricane Irma, the powerful storm that hit the Caribbean as a powerful Category 5 storm earlier this month. A FEMA spokesman told Fox News that it appears Maria could impact Saint Croix more than Saint Thomas or Saint John, the two islands hit the hardest by Irma. Saint Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, had largely been providing aid to its sister islands.
Saint John especially was left without basic necessities, shelter and power after Irma. Many residents have been unable to evacuate ahead of Maria, they told Fox News.
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The U.S. Virgin Islands, along with the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Culebra and Vieques, are under hurricane warnings, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday. Also under a hurricane warning is Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata, it said.
“A warning means that hurricane conditions are expected whereas a watch means that conditions are possible,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service.
Forecasters predicted that Maria can fluctuate in strength over the next couple of days but will “remain an extremely dangerous” Category 4 or 5 storm as it moves toward the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving “widespread devastation,” according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
“So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace,” Skerrit said. “I am honestly not preoccupied with physical damage at this time, because it is devastating … Indeed, mind boggling. My focus now is in rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
