Hurricane Maria Recap: Historic Pummeling of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Dominica; A Brush With North Carolina

Hurricane Maria was one of the most devastating hurricanes of record in Puerto Rico, parts of the Virgin Islands and the island of Dominica in September 2017.

(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Maria rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to Category 5 hurricane on Sept. 18, 2017, in almost as little time as the infamous 2005 Hurricane Wilma did, thanks to a combination of low wind shear, a moist atmosphere and warm ocean temperatures.

Maria then made landfall on the island of Dominica at 9:15 p.m. EDT that evening as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, the first Category 5 landfall on the island in NOAA's historical record.

A report from a U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission on the evening of Sept. 19, 2017, confirmed Maria had strengthened even more as maximum sustained winds increased to 175 mph and central pressure dropped to 908 mb, a lower pressure than Irma had at any time.

That was the lowest pressure for any Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Dean's 905-mb minimum central pressure in August 2007. It is also the 10th-most-intense hurricane in Atlantic Basin history, based on minimum central pressure.

(MORE: Hurricane Maria Was One of the 10 Most Intense Atlantic Basin Hurricanes on Record)

The eye of Maria came ashore near the town of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, around 6:15 a.m. EDT on Sept. 20, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.

Maria was the strongest Puerto Rico landfall since the Category 5 September 1928 San Felipe/Lake Okeechobee hurricane.

(MORE: NWS Radar Obliterated By Maria)

Prior to both Irma and Maria, only four other Category 4 hurricanes had tracked within 75 miles of central Puerto Rico in historical records dating to the late 19th century. Hurricane Hugo in 1989 was the last to do so prior to 2017, though it had weakened to a Category 3 hurricane as it clipped the northeast tip of Puerto Rico, according to the NOAA best tracks database. 

• Western St. Croix, Virgin Islands: 137 mph (sustained winds of 106 mph) 
• Isla Culebrita, Puerto Rico: 137 mph
• Gurabo, Puerto Rico: 120 mph (WeatherFlow station)
• Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico: 118 mph
• El Negro, Puerto Rico: 116 mph
• Yabucoa, Puerto Rico: 116 mph (WeatherFlow station)
• Arecibo, Puerto Rico: 111 mph
• San Juan, Puerto Rico: 110 mph (WeatherFlow station)
• Fajardo, Puerto Rico: 100 mph
• San Juan (Luis Muñoz Marin Int'l Airport), Puerto Rico: 95 mph
• St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: 86 mph

A storm surge of over 5 feet was recorded by a NOAA tide gauge at Yabucoa Harbor, Puerto Rico.

Here are some other peak storm-surge values, above the average high-tide level:

• San Juan Bay, Puerto Rico: About 2.4 feet
• Fajardo, Puerto Rico: About 2.3 feet
• Arecibo, Puerto Rico: About 2.2 feet
• Christiansted Harbor, St. Croix, Virgin Islands: About 2 feet
• Culebra, Puerto Rico: About 1.7 feet
• St. John (Lameshur Bay), Virgin Islands: About 1.5 feet

At least one rain gauge near Caguas, Puerto Rico, reported more than 35 inches of rain from Maria. According to the National Weather Service office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, rain rates approached 5 to 7 inches per hour on Sept. 20, 2017.

This torrential rain prompted flash flood warnings in much of Puerto Rico and parts of the Virgin Islands.

Flash flood emergencies were issued for the Rio de la Plata Basin. River levels had risen at least 20 feet in a matter of hours on Sept. 20, 2017, near the town of Comerio. 

Over a dozen river gauges reported levels above flood stage. The Rio Grande de Manati near Ciales shattered its previous record by over 17 feet, and the Rio Gurabo at Gurabo neared its record crest set in September 1960. Other record levels were observed, as well, including the Rio Grande de Manati near Manati (previous record was set in September 1996) and the Rio Grande de Arecibo above Arecibo (previous record was set in May 1985).

(MORE: NWS Current P.R. River Flood Status)

After striking the Bahamas, Maria moved slowly northward toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

According to the National Weather Service, over 25 rip-current rescues were performed at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, days before Maria skirted the coast of the Carolinas.

Maria made its closest approach to North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2017. While the center remained about 150 miles off the Outer Banks, its large wind field produced tropical-storm-force winds in a few locations. Here is a sampling of some peak wind gusts, courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Morehead City, North Carolina:

• Rodanthe: 59 mph
• Oregon Inlet: 56 mph
• Jeanettes Pier: 55 mph

Most storm surge was on the order of 2 feet or less in eastern North Carolina and the Tidewater of southeast Virginia, except in Hatteras, where surge values reached about 2.8 feet above normal tides. This led to areas of overwash and sand on N.C. 12, the main road through the Outer Banks.