With cleanup from Hurricane Irma still in the very early stages in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, residents of southeastern states are keeping a nervous eye on Hurricane Maria, which seems to be taking a very familiar path.
The storm, which the National Hurricane Center expects to become a major hurricane by Monday afternoon, is rapidly gaining strength and is already taking aim at the Leeward Islands. It’s expected to make landfall Monday night around 8 p.m. In Dominica and Guadeloupe. By Wednesday, it could be a category 4 storm with a direct hit on Puerto Rico.
Beyond its size, Maria is taking a path that’s eerily similar to the one Irma took weeks ago.
Hurricane Maria, poses a significant threat to Irma-devastated areas in the northern Caribbean early this week: https://t.co/ph6z8QkOkfpic.twitter.com/EayGoc09Pk
— Breaking Weather by AccuWeather (@breakingweather) September 18, 2017
As for Florida, it’s too early to tell if the storm will be a threat. Projection models through Saturday at 2 a.m. Show the storm well clear of the U.S., but Maria is expected to still be a major hurricane at that point with a very large cone of uncertainty. There are no watches or warnings for the southeast at this time.
But meteorologists—and others—say it’s a storm they’ll be watching closely.
Last thing I wanted to see this am was an eye showing on infrared satellite- #Maria is well on its way to becoming a category 4 monster ugh pic.twitter.com/k7MTyZxdmi
— Eric Blake 🌀 (@EricBlake12) September 18, 2017
Hurricane Jose (Joseph) & now Hurricane Maria (Mary). Seriously, I'm gonna pray to Baby Jesus that he keep his parents under control. #NoMashttps://t.co/3FF9dmjYHO
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) September 16, 2017
Really wanted to go to @nwas annual conf in sunny So Calif but thought it better to stay & help SoFla after #Irma & keep an eye on #Mariapic.twitter.com/ZmaxnMcSdw
— Craig Setzer, CCM (@CraigSetzer) September 17, 2017
Setzer, a popular Miami meteorologist, said he’s not preparing for the storm yet, but he is restocking his hurricane supply kit, as all Floridians should.
“My concern is that a disrupted Maria might take a more westerly track late in the week after an encounter with the Greater Antilles,” he said in a Facebook post. “I am not saying Maria is coming to Florida. I am saying that there is higher uncertainty with Maria and therefore we need to watch it this week. The odds favor Maria heading into the open Atlantic Ocean east of the Bahamas after impacting the northeast Caribbean but they are not sure that Florida won’t be involved.”
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were both devastating storms that will carry high dollar losses. Harvey damages could cost up to $180 billion and while Irma fell short of the $250 billion estimates some feared it could bring, has still had a tremendous effect. (It has also brought out the best in some people—like the Florida millionaire who fostered 70 children in his $30 million mansion.)
For now, though, the best news for everyone along the southeastern coastline may be this: The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore has not yet announced any plans to head to South.