The core of Hurricane Maria, a Category 2 storm, was "slightly weaker as it moves northward," the National Hurricane Center said late Sunday afternoon.
Early Wednesday, Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, destroying hundreds of homes and knocking out power to the entire U.S. territory of 3.4 million people.
The storm's center passed near or over the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Croix overnight Tuesday.
Saint Croix, largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma just weeks ago, this time experienced five hours of hurricane force winds, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.
Here's what you should know about Maria’s path.
Where is Maria today?
Hurricane Maria is approximately 300 miles east-northeast of Great Abaco Island and 475 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., according to the National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. ET advisory.
The storm is traveling north close to 9 mph with maximum sustained winds around 105 mph.
"On the forecast track, the core of Maria will move well east of the southeast coast of the United States during the next day or so," the advisory said.
What else should I know about the hurricane?
Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving “widespread devastation,” according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
Hurricane #Maria Advisory 27A: Core of Maria Gradually Moving Away From the Bahamas. go.usa.gov/W3H
“So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace,” Skerrit said. “I am honestly not preoccupied with physical damage at this time, because it is devastating … Indeed, mind boggling. My focus now is in rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured.”
When Maria hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, it was the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Irma when it hit the Florida Keys earlier this month.
Residents in Saint Croix told Fox News that the storm left them without power and turned roads into mudslides. Barges were also destroyed in the storm, residents said, causing concern not only for Saint Croix, but for nearby Saint Thomas and Saint John, which had been receiving aid from the larger of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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