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Cat 5Atlantic basin · Puerto Rico · US Virgin Islands · Dominica

Hurricane Maria (2017)

September 16 – October 2, 2017

Peak wind
175 mph
Min pressure
908 mb
Deaths
2,975
Damage
$91.6B
US landfalls
2

Fast Facts

Active
September 16 – October 2, 2017 (17 days)
Peak category
Category 5
Peak wind
175 mph
Minimum pressure
908 mb
PR landfall wind
155 mph (Cat 4)
Deaths (PR official)
2,975 (Milken Institute / George Washington University study)
Damage
$91.6 billion (2017 USD)
Power outage
Largest blackout in US history; 11+ months to fully restore

Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center; HURDAT2 best-track database.

Path Map

Hover or tap any point for advisory details
TD
TS
Cat 1
Cat 2
Cat 3
Cat 4
Cat 5

15 best-track points from NOAA HURDAT2. Segment color shows Saffir-Simpson intensity at the starting advisory.

Landfalls

LocationDateCategoryWind
Dominica2017-09-18Cat 5165 mph
Yabucoa, Puerto Rico2017-09-20Cat 4155 mph

The Caribbean catastrophe

Maria was the 13th named storm and 4th major hurricane of the historically active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed on September 16 from a tropical wave southeast of Barbados and underwent extremely rapid intensification — from a tropical storm with 50 mph winds on September 17 to a 165 mph Category 5 by September 19, a 24-hour intensification rate among the highest ever observed in the Atlantic basin. Maria struck Dominica at 1:15 a.m. local time on September 19 as a Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds. The damage on the small island nation was nearly total; an estimated 90% of buildings sustained roof damage and the country's GDP contracted by more than 200% of the previous year's output. Maria then turned northwest and entered the open Caribbean, reaching peak intensity of 175 mph and 908 mb south of St. Croix on September 20.

Landfall on Puerto Rico

Maria weakened slightly as its eyewall passed close to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands during the early hours of September 20, then made Puerto Rico landfall at Yabucoa on the southeast coast at 6:15 a.m. AST that morning as a high-end Category 4 with 155 mph sustained winds. The storm tracked northwest across the entire island over the next 8 hours, with the eye passing over San Juan around midday before exiting near Camuy on the northwest coast. Wind damage was extensive but the prolonged catastrophe was the simultaneous failure of essentially all infrastructure. The entire island lost electricity within hours of landfall. The cellular network — already weakened by Hurricane Irma two weeks earlier — collapsed entirely. The road network was blocked by debris, downed trees, and washed-out bridges. The municipal water systems failed when their electric pumps lost power, leading to a public-health emergency over the following weeks.

The death toll controversy

The initial official death toll from Hurricane Maria was reported as 64 by the Government of Puerto Rico in December 2017. Investigative reporting by CNN, Buzzfeed, and the New York Times during late 2017 and early 2018 suggested the actual toll was substantially higher, based on increases in death registrations and funeral home records compared to historical baselines. In August 2018 the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University published a commissioned excess-mortality study that established the death toll at 2,975 through February 2018. The Government of Puerto Rico formally adopted this figure as the official death count in August 2018. By that standard, Hurricane Maria is the deadliest natural disaster in modern US history.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people died in Hurricane Maria?

The official death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is 2,975, based on a 2018 excess-mortality study by the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, commissioned by the Government of Puerto Rico. The figure includes the period from September 2017 through February 2018 and counts deaths from interrupted medical care, lack of power for medical equipment, infectious disease, and other indirect causes attributable to the prolonged loss of infrastructure.

When did Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico?

Hurricane Maria made landfall on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico at Yabucoa at 10:15 UTC (6:15 a.m. AST) on September 20, 2017. It crossed the entire island on a northwest track, exiting near Camuy on the northwestern coast approximately 8 hours later. At landfall it was a high-end Category 4 with 155 mph sustained winds, just barely below the Category 5 threshold.

How long was Puerto Rico without power after Maria?

Hurricane Maria caused the largest and longest blackout in US history. The entire island of Puerto Rico — approximately 1.5 million customer accounts — lost power at landfall on September 20, 2017. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) did not announce full restoration until August 14, 2018 — nearly 11 months later. The total power outage represents approximately 3.4 billion customer-hours of lost service.

How much damage did Hurricane Maria cause?

NHC estimated Maria caused $91.6 billion in damage in 2017 dollars (approximately $116 billion adjusted to 2024), making it the third-costliest tropical cyclone in US history after Katrina and Harvey. Puerto Rico accounts for the bulk of the figure, with damage to electrical infrastructure, residential housing, commercial property, agriculture, and transportation networks. The US Virgin Islands and Dominica each suffered roughly $5 billion in damage.

Sources

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