Maria Strengthens into a Cat-4! Update on track and who could be impacted...
Folks in the Caribbean are without a doubt experiencing a very unpleasant case of deja vu.
Less than two weeks after taking a hit by a Category 4 storm in Irma, parts of the same region are getting it again from an equally strong storm with Hurricane Warnings posted for the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
As of 5 pm ET, Hurricane Maria has obtained category 4 status with sustained with of up to 130 mph and a central pressure that has fallen to 950 mb.
The storm is currently located about 50 miles east-southeast of Dominica on the southern end of the Leeward Islands.
Maria is currently tracking towards the WNW at about 9 mph and is expected to continue to intensify over the next day or two.
The current forecast track from the National Hurricane Center takes Maria through the Virgin Islands tomorrow and into Puerto Rico as a Cat-4 on Wednesday before lifting it towards the Turks and Caicos Islands.
From there portions of the Bahamas will be at risk and while it's too soon to say whether this storm will have a direct impact on the US mainland, it is a possibility.
For those that have interests in the region, be sure to stay tuned!
WDRB Meteorologist Jeremy Kappell
Email me at [email protected]
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