Hurricane Maria quickly strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane late Sunday evening, to a Category 4 hurricane Monday evening. Maximum sustained winds have been measured at 130 mph as the storm moves west/northwest at 9 mph. As the storm moves into a favorable environment for continued development, Maria could reach Category 5 status within the next 24 to 36 hours.
In the direct path of Maria are some of the Caribbean Islands that were devastated by Hurricane Irma just less than two weeks ago. As many residents on the islands evacuated to Puerto Rico following Irma, those people may now be bracing for a direct impact as Hurricane Maria is forecast to move over Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning.
Hurricane Irma moved a little north of the Puerto Rico, but still producing a significant amount of wind damage causing thousands to lose power. Hurricane Maria will track a little south of Irma's track, bringing the strongest winds of the hurricane through the U.S. Virgin Islands and the northern coast of Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Maria will maintain its strength as steers towards Turks and Caicos and southern Bahamas by the weekend.
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