when did hurricane maria hit puerto rico in 2017
Hurricane Maria The storm made landfall on Puerto Rico on Wednesday, September 20 as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph.[88] A sustained wind of 64 mph (103 km/h) with a gust to 113 mph (182 km/h) was reported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, immediately prior to the hurricane making landfall on the island. After landfall, wind gusts of 109 mph (175 km/h) were reported at Yabucoa Harbor and 118 mph (190 km/h) at Camp Santiago.[89] In addition, very heavy rainfall occurred throughout the territory, peaking at 37.9 in (962.7 mm) in Caguas.[90] Widespread flooding affected San Juan, waist-deep in some areas, and numerous structures lost their roof.[88] The coastal La Perla neighborhood of San Juan was largely destroyed.[91] Cataño saw extensive damage, with the Juana Matos neighborhood estimated to be 80 percent destroyed.[92] The primary airport in San Juan, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, was slated to reopen on September 22.[93]
Hurricane Maria Originating from a tropical wave, Maria became a tropical storm on September 16, east of the Lesser Antilles. Highly favorable environmental conditions allowed the storm to undergo explosive intensification as it approached the island arc. The hurricane reached Category 5 strength on September 18 upon making landfall on Dominica, producing extreme winds across the entire island. Afterwards, Maria achieved its peak intensity over the eastern Caribbean with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a pressure of 908 mbar (hPa; 26.81 inHg), making it the tenth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. Weakening slightly, but retaining its ferocious winds, Maria struck Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 hurricane on September 20. Interaction with land weakened the hurricane, though it regained some strength as it moved northeast of The Bahamas. Moving slowly to the north, Maria gradually degraded and weakened to a tropical storm on September 28. Embedded in the westerlies, Maria accelerated toward the east and later east-northeast over the open Atlantic, becoming extratropical on September 30 and dissipating by October 3.
Hurricane Maria The hurricane made its closest approach to St. Croix around 05:00 UTC on September 20, passing within 20 mi (30 km) of the island; the storm's outer eyewall lashed the island while the more violent inner eye remained offshore.[31] Hours later, around 08:00 UTC, the outer eyewall struck Vieques, an island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.[32] By this time, the outer eye became dominant as the inner one decayed, and the eyewall replacement cycle caused Maria to weaken to Category 4 strength.[33] Maria made landfall just south of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, around 10:15 UTC with sustained winds of 155 mph (250 km/h),[34] making it the strongest to hit the island since the 1928 San Felipe Segundo hurricane.[35] Maria maintained a general west-northwest course across Puerto Rico, emerging over the Atlantic Ocean shortly before 18:00 UTC. Interaction with the mountainous terrain resulted in substantial weakening; sustained winds fell to 110 mph (175 km/h) and the central pressure rose to 957 mbars (hPa; 28.26 inHg).[36] With favorable environmental conditions, Maria steadily reorganized as it moved away from Puerto Rico. A large eye, 45 mi (75 km) wide, developed with deep convection blossoming around it. Early on September 21, the system regained Category 3 intensity.[37]
Hurricane Maria Originating from a tropical wave, Maria became a tropical storm on September 16, east of the Lesser Antilles. Remarkably favorable environmental conditions allowed the storm to undergo explosive intensification as it approached the island arc. The hurricane reached Category 5 strength on September 18 upon making landfall on Dominica, producing extreme winds across the entire island. Afterwards, Maria achieved its peak intensity over the eastern Caribbean with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a pressure of 908 mbar (hPa; 26.81 inHg), making it the tenth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. Weakening slightly, but retaining its ferocious winds, Maria struck Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 hurricane on September 20. Interaction with land weakened the hurricane, though it regained some strength as it moved northeast of The Bahamas. Moving slowly to the north, Maria gradually degraded and weakened to a tropical storm on September 28. Embedded in the westerlies, Maria accelerated toward the east and later east-northeast over the open Atlantic, becoming extratropical on September 30 and dissipating by October 3.