Hurricane Maria (2011)

Storm Active: September 6-16

On September 4, a tropical wave off of the African coast began to generate shower activity south of the Cape Verde Islands. This activity became more widespread and more organized with the westward moving wave on September 5, as surface pressures began to drop over the region. A low pressure center developed in association with the wave that day, and the circulation became closed on September 6, announcing the formation of Tropical Depression Fourteen. The depression slowly organized over the next day, as it moved quickly west-northwest. A rapid intensification occurred during the morning of September 7, as an area of deep convection appeared northeast of the center, and the cyclone was upgraded to Tropical Storm Maria, with 50 mph winds.

High wind shear affected the system from its formation, however, and a powerful ridge to Maria's north imparted it with an extremely rapid westward motion of 23 mph during the night and into the morning of September 8. The storm struggled to maintain a circulation during the afternoon, and began to weaken as a result. All but minimal central convection disappeared during the early evening, and Maria became a minimal tropical storm. Overnight, however, a huge area of convection appeared. Despite this new thunderstorm activity, Maria did not intensify significantly on September 9, as the low level center was ill-defined and difficult to locate on satellite imagery.

On September 10, all convection was displaced to the northeast of the center by wind shear. So although being in close proximity to the northeast Caribbean Islands, the storm caused nearly no rain there as Maria moved northwest. The cyclone began to recover organization once again during the morning of September 11, and became a strong tropical storm as it moved west-northwest past the U.S. Virgin Islands that afternoon. A powerful trough coming off of the United States east coast started to affect Maria that evening, and it took a turn to the north on September 12, though slowing to nearly stationary. On September 13, the system began to accelerate, and finally moved away from the upper-level low that had been affecting it for so long with wind shear.

The center of Maria reformed within an area of deep convection late that night, and banding features increased in organization. During the morning of September 14, intensification began, and shear decreased. The decrease was gradual, however, and no further change occurred during the afternoon. By this time, Maria had turned to the north-northeast and already was accelerating extremely rapidly. Conditions in Bermuda deteriorated late that night and into the morning of September 15, as Maria passed to its west at near hurricane strength. Deep convection appeared near the eye that afternoon, and an eye structure began to form. Maria was therefore upgraded to hurricane status.

That night, Maria reached its peak intensity of 80 mph winds and a pressure of 979 mb. During the morning of September 16, the cyclone's forward speed exceeded 50 mph. Its closed circulation vanishing, Maria made landfall in Newfoundland as a minimal hurricane on the cusp of extratropical transition that afternoon, followed by absorbtion by a front a few hours later.



Hurricane Maria moving rapidly northward. The cyclone is already exhibiting some extratropical traits.



Track of Maria.