Still a Category 5, Hurricane Maria moves closer to St. Croix
Dan DeLuca
Hurricane Maria is forecast to bring "life-threatening storm surge, rainfall, flooding and destructive winds" as it moves closer to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin islands tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center's 8 p.m. update.
The Category 5 storm is forecast to move near or over St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands tonight, cross Puerto Rico on Wednesday, and then pass just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic Wednesday night and Thursday.
Maria has maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and is moving west/northwest at 10 mph. It is located about 60 miles southeast of St. Croix and 160 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The minimum central pressure is 909 mb.
More:Hurricane Maria: What we know
More:Hurricane Maria smashes Dominica, now menaces other islands
More:Maria strengthens into Category 5 hurricane
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- British Virgin Islands
- Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques
- Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- Saba and St. Eustatius
- St. Maarten
- Guadeloupe
- Dominican Republic west of Puerto Plata to the northern border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti
- Dominican Republic west of Cabo Engano to Punta Palenque
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
- Saba and St. Eustatius
- St. Maarten
- St. Martin and St. Barthelemy
- Isla Saona to Cabo Engano
- Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas