By the Caribbean Journal staff

With several islands steel reeling from the destructive force of Hurricane Irma, another major storm is barreling toward the Caribbean: Hurricane Maria.

As of Sunday evening, Hurricane Maria was about 120 miles east-southeast of the island of Dominica, with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.

The storm was moving north-northwest at around 12 miles per hour, with a decrease in forward speed expected through Tuesday night, expected to become a “major hurricane.”

The center of Maria is projected to move across the Leeward Islands on Monday night, and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday.

Hurricane warnings were already in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, St Lucia and Martinique, with tropical storm warnings in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

A Hurricane Watch was in effect for the US and British Virgin Islands, St Maarten, St Barth and Anguilla.

Maria is expected to produce rainfall of between six and 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches across the Leeward Islands, including Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands through Wednesday night.

The northern and central Windward Islands are expected to see rainfall of two to four inches, with potential for life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.