BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LESS than 24 hours after St. Kitts and Nevis was placed under Hurricane Watch, Tropical Storm Maria has gained strength and the Federation is now under Hurricane Warning.
The Tropical Storm has been pushed to a hurricane with winds of 75 mph as it barrels across the Atlantic Ocean towards the Caribbean.
In its latest advisory, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has placed the center of Hurricane Maria at latitude 13.8 North and Longitude 57.5 West.
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda made the upgrade in its advisory for St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Dominica and Guadeloupe.
Officials on Antigua and Barbuda have however discontinued Hurricane Warning for the two islands and now placed them under Tropical Storm Warning.
A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, the National Hurricane Center said in its statement.
Currently, Maria is said to be moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h) and a decrease in forward speed is expected through Tuesday (Sept. 19), which is a concern for some meteorologists as that can cause widespread flooding on some islands.
According to the Hurricane Center, on the forecast track, the center of Maria would move across the Leeward Islands tomorrow night and then over the extreme north-eastern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday.
Reconnaissance data indicated that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours and Maria could be near major hurricane intensity when it moves across the Leeward Islands tomorrow night, forecasters projected.
They also said that hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km).
Many of the islands that were affected by Hurricane Irma could be hit again by Maria, as she churns her way through the Caribbean.
