Miami – An even stronger Hurricane Maria is moving steadily toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and is likely to still be a powerful category 5 storm when it arrives.
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The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Maria’s winds had intensified to 165 mph (265 kph) late Tuesday afternoon, and that some additional strengthening was possible Tuesday evening.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Maria was centered about 175 miles (280 kilometers) southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was moving west-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph).
A hurricane warning was in effect for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, as well as St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat and portions of the Dominican Republic.
Hurricane center forecasters say it “now appears likely” that Maria will still be at category 5 intensity when it moves over the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The center of the hurricane was forecast to move near or over the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday, bringing with it “life-threatening” flooding from rain and storm surge.