Updates: Maria moving away from Puerto Rico

HURRICANE CENTER: View the latest tracks of Hurricanes Maria and Jose 

TALKING THE TROPICS: The very latest tropical storm forecast from @MikeFirstAlert 

8 a.m Thursday: The eye of Hurricane Maria will continue to pass offshore of the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic today.

Maria should then move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas tonight and Friday.

5 a.m. Thursday: Hurricane Maria become a Category 3 overnight with winds at 115 mph this morning just north of the Dominican Republic.

11 p.m. Wednesday: Maria remained a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds and pressure of 959 mb.

5 p.m. Wednesday: Maria has dropped to a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 110 miles per hour.

The storm is causing catastrophic flash flooding in parts of Puerto Rico and will soon impact eastern Dominican Republic.

The latest track keeps Maria well east of Jacksonville. Florida will see a swell because of Maria but it is not expected to hit the state.

2 p.m. Wednesday: Maria has lost some strength as it moves over Puerto Rico.

It is now a Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 115 miles per hour.

Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to remain a dangerous major hurricane through Friday.

11 a.m. Wednesday: Maria is a Category 4 hurricane moving over Puerto Rico with life-threatening wind, storm surge and rainfall.

Wind speeds are up to 140 miles per hour and hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles outward.

Maria is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph and this general motion with a gradual decrease in forward speed is expected through early Friday.

8 a.m. Wednesday: Hurricane Maria made landfall over Puerto Rico before 7 a.m.

The eye of the storm is currently over Eastern Puerto Rico and is moving northwest near 10 miles per hour storm remains a strong Category 4 hurricane with winds at 150 mph moving west/north-west at 10 mph.. On the forecast track, the eye
of Maria will continue to move across Puerto Rico this morning and emerge off the northern coast by this afternoon.  The center will then pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican
Republic tonight and Thursday.

5 a.m. Wednesday: Hurricane Maria is now a Category 4 storm with winds near 155 mph.

The eye of Maria is approaching and then will cross Puerto Rico today where it will pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday.

7 p.m. Tuesday: Hurricane Maria's winds increased to 175 mph, and the storm's estimated minimum pressure was 909 mb.

5 p.m. Tuesday: Hurricane Maria's winds are up to 165 miles per hour as it nears the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It appears Maria will stay east of Florida, which means a heightened rip current risk at area beaches over the weekend into early next week.

As long as Maria stays well east, direct impacts will be limited. Read more about expected impacts in the Talking the Tropics with Mike blog.

2 p.m. Tuesday: Maria is a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane moving toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane until it moves near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

11 a.m. Tuesday: Hurricane Maria remains a powerful Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 160 miles per hour.

On the current forecast track, the eye of Maria will move over the northeastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday and then pass near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

Follow @MikeFirstAlert on Twitter for the latest information on Maria.

8 a.m. Tuesday Update: Hurricane Maria remains a Category 5 hurricane with winds of  near 160 mph and moving at 9 mph.

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane while it approaches the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

5:10 a.m. Tuesday Update: After weakening overnight, Hurricane Maria re-strengthens to a Category 5 storm with winds of 160 mph.

The eye of Maria will move over the northeastern Caribbean Sea today, and approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and Wednesday.

8 p.m. Monday: Maria developed into a Category 5 hurricane as it closes in on the Dominica. The storm currently has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160 mph as it moves 9 mph.

5 p.m. Monday: Maria is now a Category 4 hurricane.

A hurricane warning has been issued for Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques.

On the forecast track, the center of Maria will move near Dominica and the adjacent Leeward Islands during the next few hours, over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea the remainder of tonight and Tuesday, and
approach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday night and Wednesday.

2 p.m. Monday: Maria is continuing to strengthen as it moves toward the Leeward Islands. The storm remains a Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 125 miles per hour.

Additional rapid strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours. Maria is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane as it moves through the Leeward Islands and the northeastern Caribbean Sea.

Follow @MikeFirstAlert on Twitter for the latest Maria information.

11 a.m. Monday: Maria has strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 120 miles per hour.

It is expected to approach the Leeward and Virgin Islands as an extremely dangerous major hurricane in the next couple days.

Maria is moving toward the west/northwest at approximately 10 miles per hour. The storm is expected to speed up through Tuesday night.

On the current forecast track, Maria will move across the Leeward Islands late Monday then approach Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands on Wednesday.

Action News Jax Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh says Maria will hit some of the same northern islands that Irma did, including a big hit on Puerto Rico.

It's a bit of a waiting game for now to see where Maria will go. The season so far has shown models with a quick turn north and east.

If Maria does go east, it will be at Jacksonville's latitude on Sunday or Monday.

Meanwhile, Jose is starting to become subtropical. It is moving north away from Jacksonville and is expected to sweep New England mid-week.

8 a.m. Monday: Hurricane Maria strengthens to a Category 2 storm, nearing Category 3 wind speeds. Current wind speeds at 110 mph and moving West NorthWest at 12 mph.

On the forecast track, the center of Maria will move across the Leeward Islands late today and tonight, and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday and Tuesday night.

11 pm Sunday Update: Maria strengthened to a Category 1 Hurricane on Sunday and is expected to become a major hurricane by Wednesday.

The system is the 7th hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.

Maria is expected to hit the Lesser Antilles islands on Monday as a hurricane.

There's a possible impact on Puerto Rico by Wednesday and the southeast Bahamas by Friday as a major hurricane.

Maria could have some land interaction with Puerto and Hispaniola by Wednesday and Thursday.

Maria is moving west with maximum sustained winds up to 85 mph.

We will keep our eyes on Maria as it approaches the southeast Bahamas by Friday and into next weekend. It is still too early to call on the eventual possible US impacts.

The National Hurricane Center is also tracking several systems in the Atlantic, including Hurricane Jose and Tropical Storm Lee.

Jose will stay northeast of Florida  but could threaten the upper U.S. coast. There are several other areas to watch over the Atlantic Basin though nothing imminent for Jacksonville.

We are tracking Tropical Depression Lee in the far eastern Atlantic. Lee is forecast to remain at sea and dissipate.

Lee was already downgraded to a Tropical Depression on Sunday morning.

There is a high rip current risk at area beaches this weekend due to easterly swells from Jose well to our east.

Visit the First Alert Weather Hurricane Center to view the latest tracks for Hurricane Jose and Tropical Storm Lee.

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