Catastrophic flash flooding has occurred over portions of Puerto Rico, and conditions are deteriorating over the eastern Dominican Republic.
At 11 p.m. Maria was moving toward the northwest at 9 mph and this general motion with a decrease in forward speed is expected through Thursday night.
- Hurricane Maria made landfall Wednesday in Puerto Rico
- Storm brought 155 mph winds
- Track the Tropics: Storm Season 2017
A turn toward the north-northwest is forecast on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Maria will continue to move away from the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico this evening.
The center will then pass offshore of the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday and then move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas Thursday night and Friday.
Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are still occurring over portions of Puerto Rico. Tropical storm conditions are spreading across the warning areas in the Dominican Republic, and hurricane conditions should start in the hurricane warning area tonight.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday, with hurricane conditions starting Thursday night.
Maria is expected to produce the following rainfall totals through Friday:
Puerto Rico...20 to 25 inches, isolated 35 inches
U.S. and British Virgin Islands...additional 3 to 5 inches
Northern and eastern Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos and
Southeast Bahamas...8 to 16 inches, isolated 20 inches
Northern Haiti...2 to 4 inches
Rainfall on these islands will cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
Maria made landfall Wednesday morning. As people waited the storm out out in shelters or took cover inside stairwells, bathrooms and closets, Maria brought down cell towers and power lines, snapped trees and unloaded at least 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain.
Make sure to watch our tropical updates each hour at :49.