Hurricane Maria

This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2017. For other storms of the same name, see List of storms named Maria.

Hurricane Maria
Maria near peak intensity while southeast of the U.S. Virgin Islands late on September 19
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 16, 2017
ExtratropicalSeptember 30, 2017
DissipatedOctober 2, 2017
Category 5 major hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds175 mph (280 km/h)
Lowest pressure908 mbar (hPa); 26.81 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities3,059 total
Damage$91.6 billion (2017 USD)
(Fourth-costliest tropical cyclone on record; costliest in Dominican and Puerto Rican history)
Areas affected
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata
Part of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season
History
 • Meteorological history

Effects
U.S territory
 • Puerto Rico
 • Death toll controversy

Other wikis
 • Commons: Maria images

Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths.[1][2] It is the deadliest and costliest hurricane to strike the island of Puerto Rico, and is the deadliest hurricane to strike the country of Dominica and the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017, Maria was the thirteenth named storm, eighth consecutive hurricane, fourth major hurricane, second Category 5 hurricane, and deadliest storm of the extremely active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. With over 3,000 deaths and a minimum central pressure of 908 millibars (26.8 inHg), Maria was both the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Jeanne in 2004, and the eleventh most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, respectively. Total monetary losses are estimated at upwards of $91.61 billion (2017 USD), almost all of which came from Puerto Rico, ranking it as the fourth-costliest tropical cyclone on record.

Maria developed from a tropical wave on September 16 east of the Lesser Antilles. Steady strengthening and organization took place initially, until favorable conditions enabled it to undergo explosive intensification on the afternoon of September 18, achieving Category 5 strength just before making landfall on the island of Dominica that night. After crossing the island and weakening slightly, Maria re-intensified and achieved its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a pressure of 908 mbar (hPa; 26.81 inHg). On September 20, an eyewall replacement cycle weakened Maria to a high-end Category 4 hurricane by the time it struck Puerto Rico. The hurricane re-emerged weaker from land interaction, but quickly restrengthened back into a major hurricane again the following day. Passing north of The Bahamas, Maria remained a powerful hurricane over the following week as it slowly paralleled the East Coast of the United States, gradually weakening over time as conditions became less favorable. Maria then stalled and swung eastward over the open Atlantic, becoming extratropical on September 30 before dissipating by October 2.

Maria brought catastrophic devastation to the entirety of Dominica, destroying housing stock and infrastructure beyond repair, and practically eradicating the island's lush vegetation. The neighboring islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique endured widespread flooding, damaged roofs, and uprooted trees. Puerto Rico suffered catastrophic damage and a major humanitarian crisis; most of the island's population suffered from flooding and a lack of resources, compounded by a slow relief process. The storm caused the worst electrical blackout in US history, which persisted for several months.[3] Maria also landed in the northeast Caribbean during relief efforts from another Category 5 hurricane, Irma, which crossed the region two weeks prior. The total death toll is 3,059: an estimated 2,975 in Puerto Rico,[4][5] 65 in Dominica, 5 in the Dominican Republic, 4 in Guadeloupe, 4 in the contiguous United States, 3 in the United States Virgin Islands, and 3 in Haiti. Maria was the deadliest hurricane in Dominica since the 1834 Padre Ruíz hurricane[6] and the deadliest in Puerto Rico since the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane.[7] This makes it the deadliest named Atlantic hurricane of the 21st century to date.

  1. ^ Baldwin, Sarah Lynch; Begnaud, David (August 28, 2018). "Hurricane Maria caused an estimated 2,975 deaths in Puerto Rico, new study finds". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. ^ Richard J. Pasch; Andrew B. Penny; Robbie Berg (April 5, 2018). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Maria (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Giusti, Carlos (June 13, 2018). "Puerto Rico issues new data on Hurricane Maria deaths". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  4. ^ Baldwin, Sarah Lynch; Begnaud, David (August 28, 2018). "Hurricane Maria caused an estimated 2,975 deaths in Puerto Rico, new study finds". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference TCR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Neely, Wayne (December 19, 2016). The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes of the Caribbean and the Americas: The Stories Behind the Great Storms of the North Atlantic. iUniverse. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-5320-1151-1. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  7. ^ Sean Breslin (August 9, 2018). "Puerto Rican Government Admits Hurricane Maria Death Toll Was at Least 1,400". The Weather Company. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.