<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Part of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season </Td> </Tr> <P> Hurricane Maria is regarded as the worst natural disaster on record in Dominica, and caused catastrophic damage and a major humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico . The tenth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Maria was the thirteenth named storm, seventh consecutive hurricane, fourth major hurricane, and the second Category 5 hurricane of the unusually active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season . At its peak, the hurricane caused catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the northeastern Caribbean, compounding recovery efforts in the areas of the Leeward Islands already struck by Hurricane Irma just two weeks prior . Maria was the third consecutive major hurricane to threaten the Leeward Islands in two weeks, after Irma made landfall in several of the islands two weeks prior and Hurricane Jose passed dangerously close bringing tropical storm force winds to Barbuda . </P> <P> Originating from a tropical wave, Maria became a tropical storm on September 16, east of the Lesser Antilles . Remarkably favorable environmental conditions allowed the storm to undergo explosive intensification as it approached the island arc . The hurricane reached Category 5 strength on September 18 upon making landfall on Dominica, producing extreme winds across the entire island . Afterwards, Maria achieved its peak intensity over the eastern Caribbean with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km / h) and a pressure of 908 mbar (hPa; 26.81 inHg), making it the tenth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record . Weakening slightly, but retaining its ferocious winds, Maria struck Puerto Rico as a high - end Category 4 hurricane on September 20 . Interaction with land weakened the hurricane, though it regained some strength as it moved northeast of the Bahamas . Moving slowly to the north, Maria gradually degraded and weakened to a tropical storm on September 28 . Embedded in the westerlies, Maria accelerated toward the east and later east - northeast over the open Atlantic, becoming extratropical on September 30 and dissipating by October 3 . </P> <P> As of October 10, at least 96 people are confirmed to have been killed by the hurricane: 51 in Puerto Rico, 30 in Dominica, 5 in the Dominican Republic, 4 in the contiguous United States, 3 in Haiti, 2 in Guadeloupe, and 1 in the United States Virgin Islands . Hundreds of others, mostly in Dominica and Puerto Rico, are still missing . Maria wrought catastrophic damage to the entirety of Dominica, which suffered an island - wide communication blackout . Much of the housing stock and infrastructure were left beyond repair, while the island's lush vegetation had been practically eradicated . The islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique endured widespread flooding, damaged roofs and uprooted trees . Puerto Rico suffered catastrophic damage, including destruction of its previously damaged electrical grid . For weeks in Maria's wake, most of the island's population suffered from flooding and lack of resources, compounded by the slow relief process . Total losses from the hurricane are estimated at between $15.9 and $95 billion (2017 USD), mostly in Puerto Rico, making Maria's cost comparable to that of previous Hurricanes Irma and Harvey . </P>

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