Hurricane Maria strengthening as it nears Caribbean islands battered by Irma
Hurricane Irma was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic and killed at least 84 people
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Your support makes all the difference.Hurricane Maria is churning towards a string of Caribbean islands already battered by Hurricane Irma as forecasters warn it is expected to strengthen rapidly over the coming hours.
Maria swiftly grew into a hurricane on Sunday and is following a path which would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on towards Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Hurricane warnings were issued for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius and St Lucia.
Other islands were warned to stay alert for changes in the storm. Hurricane watches were up in Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, the island shared by French St Martin and Dutch St Maarten, St Barts and Anguilla.
The US National Hurricane Centre estimated it had maximum sustained winds of 90mph (150kph) and was centred around 130 miles (215 kilometres) east-southeast of Dominica, or 100 miles (160 kilometres) east of Martinique, and heading west-northwest at 13mph (20kph).
Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic with winds up to 185mph (298kph), killed at least 84 people, more than half of them in the Caribbean.
Maria could make a direct hit on Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma, although much of the island had its power knocked out.
Governor Ricardo Rossello said officials had prepared around 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people, or even 125,000 in an emergency. He said schools were closed on Monday and government employees would work only a half day.
Officials in the Dominican Republic urged people to leave areas prone to flooding and said fishermen should remain in port.
Farther north, long-lived Hurricane Jose continued to head northward off the US East Coast, causing dangerous surf and rip currents. It wasn't expected to make landfall but tropical storm watches were posted along the coast from Delaware to Massachusetts' Cape Cod.
Jose was centred about 280 miles (450 kilometres) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving north at 9mph (15kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 85mph (140kph).
In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Norma's threat to Mexico's Los Cabos resort area at the southern end of the Baja California peninsula seemed to ease as forecasters said the storm's centre was likely to remain offshore.
Norma had winds of about 50mph (85kph) and it was centred about 160 miles (255 kilometers) southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The area was hit two weeks ago by Tropical Storm Lidia, which flooded streets and homes and killed at least four people.
Additional reporting by agencies
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