At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Maria was located near latitude 22.8 North, longitude 71.2 West. Maria is moving toward the north-northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h). A turn toward the north is expected by late Saturday. On the forecast track, Maria's core will move away from the Turks and Caicos Islands today, and pass northeast and east of the Bahamas through Sunday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher gusts. Maria is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. A gradual weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 km).
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Central Bahamas