Hurricane Maria strengthened into a Category 3 storm on Monday and pushed toward the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, as forecasters warned it was expected to become a major hurricane by early Tuesday.

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, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. 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 110 mph Monday morning. It was centered about 120 miles east-southeast of Dominica — or 85 miles east of Martinique — and heading west-northwest at 12 mph.

Hurricane warnings were posted for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Martinique and St. Lucia. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten.

Forecasters said hurricane conditions should begin to affect parts of the Leeward Islands by Monday night, with storm surge raising water levels by 4 to 6 feet near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

Officials in Guadeloupe said the French Caribbean island would experience extremely heavy flooding starting Monday afternoon, and they warned that many communities would be submerged overnight.

On Wednesday, Maria was expected to be near or over Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma, although much of the island had its power knocked out. Nearly 70,000 people remain without power, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello on Monday warned of another widespread outage.

“We have an extremely weak infrastructure that has already been hit by one storm,” he said. “This is going to be a catastrophic event.”

Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power in Puerto Rico immediately after the storm.

Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people — or even 125,000 in an emergency. Schools were canceled for 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 north off the U.S. 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 centered about 270 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving north at 9 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

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 center was likely to remain offshore.

Norma had winds of about 50 mph and was centered about 160 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The Baja California Sur state government prepared storm shelters and canceled classes for Monday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic while Hurricane Otis weakened far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land.

8:25 a.m.: This story has been updated with Maria’s upgrade to a Category 3 storm.

This story originally published at 7:25 a.m.</s>Hurricane Maria has pounded Dominica with “widespread devastation” as it barrels toward St. Croix and threatens catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico.

Hurling winds of 160 mph (257 kph), Maria shredded the Dominica Prime Minister’s house overnight Monday into Tuesday and left much of the island — population 73,000 — in ruins.

“Initial reports are of widespread devastation,” Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Facebook.

“So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace. My greatest fear for the morning is … news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.”

A few hours earlier, the Prime Minister posted, “My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding.”

Maria is now the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Dominica, a former French and British colony with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and agriculture.

‘Don’t go out under any circumstances’

As of 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, Maria was centered about 85 miles (135 kilometers) west of Guadeloupe and 170 miles (275 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix.

A hurricane warning is in effect Tuesday for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, the US and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques.

“A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves will raise water levels by as much as 7 to 11 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning area near where the center of Maria moves across the Leeward Islands and the British Virgin Islands,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Guadeloupe’s regional government tweeted a stern warning to residents Tuesday: “Don’t go out under any circumstances.”

After crossing St. Croix, Maria will head toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday as “an extremely dangerous Category 4 or 5 hurricane,” the National Hurricane Center said.

That would make Maria the first Category 4 or 5 hurricane to make landfall in Puerto Rico in 85 years.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has declared a state of emergency. And US President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico to aid with federal assistance.

Puerto Rico sheltered many of the evacuees who fled from other Caribbean Islands during Hurricane Irma earlier this month. Now those evacuees and native Puerto Ricans are bracing for devastation.

“This is an event that will be damaging to the infrastructure, that will be catastrophic,” Rosselló said. “Our only focus right now should be to make sure we save lives.”

The governor said 500 shelters are available on the island.

“We expect to feel storm winds, tropical storm winds, (from) Tuesday up until late on Thursday. That’s about two-and-a-half days of tropical storm winds,” Rosselló said.

“On Wednesday we will feel the brunt — all of the island will feel the brunt of sustained Category 4 or 5 winds.”

On the coastal city of Salinas, residents waited in long lines for water and essentials.

Restaurateur Juan Miguel Gonzalez said he was worried about the storm’s impact. “Not about material stuff, rather the people,” he said.

His staff was working to prepare the waterfront property for Maria’s arrival.

The Puerto Rico Convention Center in the capital San Juan to the north — which is still housing Hurricane Irma evacuees from other Caribbean islands — is preparing to accept thousands of residents as the worst of the storm is felt.

One bit of good news emerged from the Caribbean: The French island of Martinique suffered no major damage, the French Interior Ministry tweeted Tuesday.

Maria knocked out power to about 50,000 homes, and 10,000 homes had no water. But overall, the damage assessment was “reassuring,” the French Interior Ministry said.

The director general of French civil security, Jacques Witkowski, said only two people on Martinique suffered minor injuries.

In just 30 hours, Maria’s intensity exploded from 65 mph on Sunday to 160 mph by Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

The British Foreign Office said more than 1,300 troops are on standby, either on affected islands or in nearby locations, ready to help after Maria tears through.

One military team has been deployed to the British Virgin Islands, and a British military reconnaissance team is on standby to go to the British territory of Montserrat.

The HMS Ocean is set to arrive in the area at week’s end with 60 tons of government supplies.

Another hurricane, Jose, is also churning in the Atlantic and has spawned tropical storm warnings for part of the US East Coast.

While forecasters don’t anticipate Jose making landfall in the US, it’s still expected to cause “dangerous surf and rip currents” along the East Coast in the next few days, the hurricane center said.</s>CHICAGO (CBS) — Hurricane Irma, and now Maria, are dealing a brutal one-two punch to the island of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico hasn’t even had a chance to recover from Irma and, already, the boards are going up again — specifically at a restaurant one Chicagoan and her Puerto Rican husband took over this summer.

CBS 2’s Roseanne Tellez spoke with them via Skype.

CBS: How long were you in business before this happened?

“We were open for five days!” Jen Longawa Lauria said.

Then uprooted trees, broken cement barriers and cut power lines took over the island.

“We lost a few thousand dollars in meats, seafood and vegetables that we were not able to protect,” Longawa Lauria said.

And now the island is bracing for Hurricane Maria.

“The hardware stores are completely cleared out,” Longawa Lauria said. “If we didn’t have boards from Irma, we would not be able to get supplies to properly secure our business.”

Many Puerto Ricans in Chicago feel powerless to help.

“Another friend went to five different places yesterday looking for water and gas — zero,” Christina Pacione Zayas said.

Zayas is helping organize a benefit to help Puerto Rico, saying the U.S. government is not stepping up.

“When it’s convenient for the United States, Puerto Rico is a part of it. When it’s inconvenient, it’s that island far off over there. And this is a human crisis.”

Puerto Rico was dealing with a crumbling infrastructure before Hurricane Irma. After Maria goes through, the island will need a helping hand. Zayas’ benefit will take place Friday at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Center, 4046 West Armitage, from 7 to 11 p.m.

Hurricane Maria is currently a Category 5 storm, that is expected to be a still-powerful Category 4 storm when it hits Puerto Rico.</s>The Caribbean is preparing for an “extremely dangerous” major hurricane less than two weeks after Irma struck the region, devastating entire islands, flattening homes and buildings, and killing more than 30 people.

The National Hurricane Center on Monday night upgraded Hurricane Maria to a Category 4 storm packing 130-mile-per-hour winds with stronger gusts. “Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 to 36 hours, and Maria is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane during the next couple of days,” the center said in its latest advisory.

The eye of the hurricane is expected to reach the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico Monday night, according to the latest forecasts. The Leeward Islands include the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the two-island state of Antigua and Barbuda, the British territory of Anguilla, and other islands. Many are still assessing the damage of Hurricane Irma, which hit as a Category 5 earlier this month.

Storm advisories are in effect around the region. Hurricane Maria will bring storm surge “accompanied by large and destructive waves” that will raise water levels by as much as six feet to nine feet. The storm is expected to drop six inches to 12 inches of rain in the central and southern Leeward Islands with some spots getting as much as 20 inches. Between two and four inches are expected in the rest of the islands, including Barbuda and Anguilla, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Rainfall on all of these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” the center said.</s>Puerto Rico is preparing to take a direct hit from Hurricane Maria. Today it became a dangerous Category 4 storm. Forecasts have it passing straight over Puerto Rico on Wednesday. The U.S. territory was not hit as hard as people feared it might have been by Hurricane Irma, but three people were killed, and it sustained damage that could be above a billion dollars. Now ahead of Maria, evacuation orders have been issued today for parts of the island.

I spoke with Puerto Rico's secretary of state, Luis Rivera Marin. He says this is all happening while the government is providing shelter and medical care to evacuees of Hurricane Irma from neighboring islands.

LUIS RIVERA MARIN: We are talking about thousands of people. It's 3,286 evacuees, mostly U.S. citizens that were either residing or vacationing in the islands which were stranded after Irma hit. And the airports were compromised as well as communications.

SHAPIRO: And so as you are preparing your island for the potential arrival of Hurricane Maria, you also have to consider these people who are in temporary shelters. Are those shelters hurricane-proof?

MARIN: They are hurricane-proof. Currently we have facilitated an area in our convention center which was designed originally to also serve as a shelter with all the facilities, including showers, including kitchens and support services. And we have a infirmary with health services. We received close to 210 patients of - renal patients that were without dialysis for a few days, and we needed to have them stabilized. And we are working with them.

We even had a birth. This morning, one of the evacuees delivered a baby in the middle of the preparations. So it's been a challenge. Nevertheless, we're being - working very closely with federal agencies, which include HHS, FEMA and the Department of Defense, which provided the airplanes.

SHAPIRO: I know you just went through Irma preparations a couple of weeks ago. Now you're dealing with preparations for Maria. What are you as an island doing to prepare?

MARIN: Well, this storm has - is one of unequal proportions. Certainly our infrastructure has been compromised because of Irma. And we have not re-established service. And now we have changed from a recovery mode to a preparation mode in terms of our emergency management. Certainly the storm's swell is truly a challenge for all our coast. As an island, we're talking about a storm swell close to 8 feet. And with the probability of having seas in the amount of 25 feet swells, this is certainly a catastrophic proportion for the island.

So right now we are in the process of evacuating most of our coastal towns. Our citizens are really hesitant to leave their dwellings. And right now I'm with the mayor of Catano, working and trying to convince many of our citizens to evacuate and go to a shelter, which are - we have shelters for 120,000 people around the island. And the way we do this - our public school systems - our public schools are turned over to our emergency service, and they're full of cots and ready to receive evacuees.

SHAPIRO: Luis Rivera Marin is Puerto Rico's secretary of state. Thank you very much for joining us.

MARIN: Thank you. Thank you for having us. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.</s>The latest Hurricane Maria update indicates the storm has reached Category 5 hurricane status, with the path giving the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico cause for concern. Warnings of possible “catastrophic damage” have been issued ahead of the storm hitting these areas. This comes after Hurricane Irma recently wreaked havoc in these areas as well as parts of Florida and nearby areas. Here are the latest details on where Hurricane Maria’s path is, as well as what areas are going to potentially experience major issues with regards to the storm.

On Tuesday, the Weather Channel reported that Hurricane Maria is “closing in” towards Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. On Monday evening, the storm hit Dominica, making for the island’s first-ever recorded Category 5 landfall there. A report from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission earlier today confirmed Maria remains at Category 5 status. The center of the storm was said to be 150 miles southeast of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and moving west-northwest at 10 miles per hour. Expectations were also that the storm would reach Puerto Rico within the next 24 hours, but as far as hitting parts of the United States, it’s too early for forecasters to determine.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, residents are already being warned about the possible “catastrophic damage” of Hurricane Maria from the storms severe winds. It’s also being said it could cause “devastating to catastrophic flooding” due to rainfall flooding. The National Weather Service issued a full hurricane statement for the areas of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s being said that “time is running out” for residents of these areas to prepare and with such limited time they should be “rushing” their preparations ahead of this severe weather situation. The National Weather Service also mentioned that “locations may be uninhabitable for weeks or months” in the aforementioned areas.

The expectations are that tropical storm-force winds are going to hit the Virgin Islands fast and hurricane-force winds will arrive by Tuesday night. As of Wednesday morning, these hurricane-force winds will continue to wreak havoc with St. Croix the area that could be affected most at that time. The Virgin Islands could get 10 to 15 inches of rainfall and up to 20 inches locally.

Puerto Rico will also see tropical-force winds by Tuesday night. By early Wednesday they will be at hurricane-force and continued that way into Wednesday night. There could be as much as 12 to 18 inches of rainfall in the area, or as much as 25 inches in some spots by Thursday.

The Dominican Republic is more of a question mark as far as the storm path goes. If the eyewall of the storm changes direction just slightly it could mean intense winds stay away from the area. However, the north coast of Dominican Republic should still prepare for potential hurricane-force winds there as soon as Wednesday night.

So what about the United States? As of Tuesday, USA Today‘s AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller was saying Florida may avoid this particular storm. Hurricane Maria is arriving not long after parts of Florida were hit by Hurricane Irma. Miller is saying if Maria reaches the U.S. it won’t be until early next week, but it’s still too early to know what its path will be by then.

Miller indicated that the storm could be like another hurricane that was recently a possible danger for the United States but stayed away.

Right now, Jose is at Category 1 status with winds of 75 miles per hour hitting areas of the New England coast including Rhode Island and Massachusetts’ coastline. If the Hurricane Maria path is similar to Jose, it would be relieving news for residents of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, still recovering from the damage and destruction brought by Hurricane Irma. Still, U.S. residents should stay aware of any weather alerts for their area as the storm moves this coming week into next.

For those who want to keep a close eye on the path of Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Jose, there is a YouTube live stream video above (via the Washington Post) to track the storms as they continue Tuesday.

[Featured Image by NASA/NOAA GOES Project via Getty Images]</s>Category 5 Hurricane Maria is bearing down Puerto Rico less than two weeks after Hurricane Irma narrowly missed the US territory.

The NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the eye of hurricane will “pass near or over” the island tomorrow but the effects will begin to be felt tonight.

NHC forecaster Eric Blake tweeted: “Today is your last day to prepare Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands - Maria should be exceptionally powerful when it moves through on Wed.”

The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, told island residents: "It is time to seek refuge with a family member, friend or head to a state shelter."</s>SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic >> A strengthening Hurricane Maria churned toward the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean on Monday as forecasters warned it was expected to become a major hurricane by early Tuesday.

Maria swiftly grew into a hurricane Sunday, and forecasters said it was expected to become much stronger over the coming hours following a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Hurricane warnings were posted 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 U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the island shared by French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten, St. Barts and Anguilla.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) early Monday. It was centered about 130 miles (215 kilometers) east-southeast of Dominica — or 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Martinique — and heading west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

The hurricane center said hurricane conditions should begin to affect parts of the Leeward Islands by Monday night, with storm surge raising water levels by 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) near the storm’s center. The storm was predicted to bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

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. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people — or even 125,000 in an emergency. He said schools were cancelled for 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 U.S. 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 centered about 280 miles (450 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving north at 9 mph (15 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph).

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 center was likely to remain offshore.

Norma had winds of about 50 mph (85 kph) and it was centered about 160 miles (255 kilometers) southwest of Cabo San Lucas. That area was hit two weeks ago by Tropical Storm Lidia, which flooded streets and homes and killed at least four people.

The Baja California Sur state government prepared storm shelters and canceled classes for Monday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic while Hurricane Otis weakened some far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land.</s>A strengthening Hurricane Maria swirled toward the eastern Caribbean early Monday, with forecasters warning it probably would be a major storm by the time it passed through the already battered Leeward Islands later in the day.

Maria grew into a hurricane Sunday, and forecasters said it was expected to become much stronger over the next 48 hours following a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Hurricane warnings were posted 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 the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the island shared by French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten, St. Barts and Anguilla.

Global Affairs Canada advised people to avoid all travel to the following:

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h late Sunday. It was centred about 165 km northeast of Barbados and heading west-northwest at 20 km/h.

The hurricane centre said hurricane conditions should begin to affect parts of the Leeward Islands by Monday night, with storm surge raising water levels by 1.8 metres near the storm's eye. The storm was predicted to bring up to 30 cm of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas.

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.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people — or even 125,000 in an emergency. He said schools were cancelled for 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 U.S. 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.
• Over 25% of Florida Keys homes flattened by Irma
• Florida switches from search and rescue to 'long recovery'

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 center was likely to remain offshore.

Norma had winds of about 85 km/h and it was centred about 225 km south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. That area was hit two weeks ago by Tropical Storm Lidia, which flooded streets and homes and killed at least four people.

The Baja California Sur state government prepared storm shelters and canceled classes for Monday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic while Otis strengthened into a hurricane out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land.</s>Watches are out for the East Coast due to Hurricane Jose while Hurricane Maria targets some of the same islands recovering from Hurricane Irma.

Watches are out for the East Coast due to Hurricane Jose while Hurricane Maria targets some of the same islands recovering from Hurricane Irma.

Maria is expected to become much stronger over the next 48 hours, following a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Maria is expected to become much stronger over the next 48 hours, following a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Hurricane Maria remains a dangerous Category 5 storm, but its potential impact on the United States is becoming clearer with each new update.

Maria made landfall on Dominica as a Category 5 storm around 9:15 p.m. Monday. Overnight the storm was downgraded to Category 4 briefly but was upgraded to Category 5 again at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

At the 11 a.m. update Tuesday, Maria was about 115 miles west of Guadeloupe and 170 miles southeast of St. Croix. Wind speeds are 160 miles per hour.

On the forecast track, the hurricane is expected to hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday night and Wednesday. A storm surge from 6 to 9 feet is expected.

Maria is taking a similar track as Hurricane Irma did just two weeks ago, and most in the region are taking precautions sooner rather than later.

RELATED: Click here to see Maria's forecast track

RELATED: Click here to see Maria's spaghetti models

"Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 to 36 hours, and Maria is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane during the next couple of days," the NHC says.

"I think over the next 48 to 72 hours, we'll have a better idea of how this will play out," said First Alert Meteorologist Tim Miller Tuesday morning.

Maria grew into a hurricane on Sunday, and forecasters said it was expected to become much stronger while following a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Once the system moves north of Puerto Rico, the models disagree about what happens next.

At this point, however, it's too early to tell where Maria will go or if a U.S. landfall will take place.

"I think over the next 48 to 72 hours, we'll have a better idea of how this will play out," said First Alert Meteorologist Tim Miller Tuesday morning.

Maria joins Hurricane Jose, which is expected to continue moving north and then northeast away from the U.S. and the remnants of Lee, which is forecast to lose some steam over the next five days.

The First Alert Weather Team will be tracking the tropics for you as Maria gets closer to the U.S.

Download the WIS First Alert Weather App for updates on Maria and other weather that may affect you. It's free.
Hurricane Maria reaches Category 5 as it threatens the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.