Hurricane Maria intensifies into Category 3 storm

Wreckage after hurricane Irma.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On Monday, Hurricane Maria strengthened into a Category 3 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of up to 120 mph. The storm is expected to cross over the Leeward Islands, the eastern Caribbean islands recently ravaged by Hurricane Irma, before moving over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Wednesday.

Puerto Rico is already bracing itself for another potentially devastating storm. "We have an extremely weak infrastructure that has already been hit by one storm," Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Monday. "This is going to be a catastrophic event."

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It's not yet clear whether Maria poses a threat to Florida, though it remains a possibility.

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