Now a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Maria continues to move slowly northward as of Monday morning.
Forecasters said Maria will move “well east” of the southeastern coast of the U.S. over the next few days.
Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico early Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, destroying hundreds of homes and knocking out power to the entire U.S. territory of 3.4 million people.
The storm’s center passed near or over the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Croix overnight Tuesday.
The aftermath of Hurricane Maria on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(Courtesy of Alesia Georgiou)
Here’s what you should know about Maria’s path.
Where is Maria today?
Hurricane Maria is approximately 335 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. ET advisory Monday.
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The storm is traveling north at 7 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
What else should I know about the hurricane?
A tropical storm watch is in effect for parts of North Carolina’s eastern coast all the way to the Virginia border. Maria is expected to stay off the coast as it continues its trek north, however.
Although it is still considered to be a large hurricane, Maria is expected to weaken to a tropical storm by Tuesday night.
Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving “widespread devastation,” according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
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“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.”
When Maria hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, it was the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Irma when it hit the Florida Keys earlier this month.
The aftermath of Hurricane Maria on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(Courtesy of Alesia Georgiou)
Saint Croix, largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma just weeks ago, this time experienced five hours of hurricane force winds, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.
Residents in Saint Croix told Fox News that the storm left them without power and turned roads into mudslides. Barges were also destroyed in the storm, residents said, causing concern not only for Saint Croix, but for nearby Saint Thomas and Saint John, which had been receiving aid from the larger of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Fox News’ Kaitlyn Schallhorn and Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
