Maria was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday, and it is about 125 miles east-northeast of Barbados, headed toward the eastern Caribbean at 15 miles per hour.
"Maria has strengthened to a hurricane and could be near major hurricane intensity when it affects portions of the Leeward Islands over the next few days, bringing dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards," the National Hurricane Center said. There is now a hurricane warning in Martinique, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe.
There are two other storms in the Atlantic — Jose, a Category 1 that could cause "dangerous surf and rip currents" along the U.S. East Coast over the next few days, and Lee, which was downgraded Sunday from a tropical storm to a tropical depression. It is expected to weaken even further over the next several days.
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