A Strengthening Hurricane Maria Closes in on Irma-Hit Caribbean

(SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic) — The islands of the eastern Caribbean prepared Sunday to face another potential disaster, with forecasters saying newly formed and strengthening Hurricane Maria was headed for a hit on the Leeward Islands by Monday night. Hurricane or tropical storm warnings were posted for many of the islands, including those already coping with the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, such as St. Barts and Antigua and Barbuda. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria was expected to gain power and likely would be near major hurricane strength while crossing through the Leeward Islands late Monday on a path aiming toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) late Sunday. It was centered about 100 miles (165 kilometers) northeast of Barbados and heading west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph). The hurricane center said hurricane conditions should begin to affect parts of the Leeward Islands by Monday night, with storm surge raising water levels by 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) near the storm’s center. The storm was predicted to bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas. It could make a direct hit on Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma, though power was knocked out to much of the island. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people —...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Caribbean hurricane irma Hurricane Maria onetime weather Source Type: news