SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Maria grew into a Category 3 storm on Monday as it barreled toward a potentially devastating collision with islands in the eastern Caribbean. Forecasters warned it was likely to grow even stronger.
The storm was on a path that would take it near many of the islands already wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Maria could hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane, said Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan.
“This storm promises to be catastrophic for our island,” he said. “All of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane force winds.”
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) late Monday morning. It was centered about 95 miles (150 kilometers) east-southeast of Dominica — or 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Martinique — and heading west-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).