Hurricane Maria: Will It Hit North Carolina?

CHARLOTTE, NC -- As Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico Wednesday morning with Category 4 intensity and an expected 20 inches of rain, forecasters warn the storm currently packing winds around 150 mph will likely follow the same path as Hurricane Jose once it leaves the Caribbean. While this is good news for Florida as it continues to grapple with widespread damage from Hurricane Irma, this storm could potentially impact the Carolinas, forecasters say.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Maria had made landfall in Puerto Rico and was centered about 15 miles southwest of San Juan, according to the National Weather Service. It is expected to move northwest over the island, striking the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic by Thursday, NWS said.

"Following a direct hit on Puerto Rico, Maria is likely to remain a major hurricane as it moves northwestward on Thursday," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Charlotte — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Watch: Hurricane Maria Is The Strongest Storm To Hit Puerto Rico In Decades

According to a Sept. 20 forecast by AccuWeather, Maria is not expected to turn westward toward Florida after it pushes through the Caribbean, but instead will likely curve north, remaining offshore along the southeastern U.S. coast.

That scenario, however, could change as forecasters warn a strike along the North Carolina coast could become a possibility next week.

WATCH: Hurricane Maria Is The Strongest Storm To Hit Puerto Rico In Decades

“During the middle to latter part of next week, possibilities range from the hurricane remaining offshore to an encounter with the U.S. mainland from the Carolinas on north. A turn toward the northeast could bring Maria close to Bermuda,” AccuWeather said.

Meanwhile, a non-tropical storm forming over the Great Lakes could prove to be a game changer in determining Maria’s track in the days ahead, forecasters say.

“On one hand, a fast-moving, non-tropical storm could kick Maria out to sea or at least keep it offshore,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said. “On the other hand, the slow-moving, non-tropical storm could pull Maria close to the coast or perhaps onshore. If this happens, there is the potential for wind and heavy rain in part of the eastern U.S. or Atlantic Canada should the systems converge.”

Images via the National Weather Service, AccuWeather

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