Hurricane Maria churns toward Caribbean

(NBC News) – A hurricane watch was issued for Puerto Rico early Monday as Maria left residents of Irma-battered Caribbean islands racing to prepare for yet another potentially powerful storm.

Maria was about 85 miles east of Martinique at 8 a.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and could develop into a major hurricane by Monday night or early Tuesday, it added.

Maria could grow into a “major hurricane” by Monday night or early Tuesday as it takes aim at Puerto Rico’s southern coast, the hurricane center said.

uerto Rico has not been hit by a Category 4 or 5 hurricane since 1928, said NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins.

Maria, however, could be “catastrophic” for Puerto Rico, which was largely spared by Hurricane Irma, Karins said. It passed 50 miles north of the island and caused only wave damage, but even that was enough to knock out power to around 1 million people.

Read More: http://nbcnews.to/2fv0ywu

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