Hurricane Maria to pass by Dutch islands; strong winds, rain still expected

Hurricane Maria is heading towards the Caribbean, but is currently expected to miss the Kingdom of the Netherlands islands, according to Nicolien Kroon of Buienradar. The strong winds and heavy rains the hurricane brings with it can still cause many problems on the islands, especially for Sint Maarten, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma a week and a half a go, RTL Nieuws reports.

Maria is currently considered a category 1 hurricane, but is expected to increase in strength to category 3 by tonight. On Tuesday, Hurricane Maria will pass just south of the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will be hit full on.

Even though Hurricane Maria's eye is expected to pass far south of Sint Maarten, the island can still expect very strong winds and heavy rains. The wind speed will reach around 100 kilometers per hour on the island. For comparison, the autumn storm that hit the Netherlands last week had wind speeds between 60 and 90 kilometers per hour. Wind speeds of some 300 kilometers per hour were measured during Hurricane Irma on September 6th.