Hurricane Maria a Dangerous Category 5 Closing in on a Potentially Catastrophic Strike On Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 hurricane, is closing in on a potentially catastrophic strike on the already storm-weary Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, following a first-on-record Category 5 landfall for the island of Dominica Monday night.
The National Weather Service office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, warned of "catastrophic damage" from Maria's winds, as well as the potential for "devastating to catastrophic flooding" from rainfall flooding in a hurricane local statement issued Tuesday morning.
A report from a U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission early Tuesday confirmed Maria regained Category 5 status. Maria's center is currently 110 miles southeast of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, moving west-northwest at 10 mph.