The category 5 is bearing down on the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico after making its first landfall on Dominica at 9pm EDT on Monday (2am BST on Tuesday). Hurricane Maria is following a similar path as Hurricane Irma through the Caribbean but weather models show it is not currently on track to hit Florida. The news comes as huge swathes of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas continue deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which forced thousands of Americans to evacuate their homes last week. The latest GFS model predicts that Maria could graze North Carolina, though hurricanes are notoriously difficult to predict and forecasts often change.

Other global models should that Hurricane Maria could curve out and miss the US East Coast. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller said Maria appears poised to spin north before it can reach the U.S. East Coast. A National Hurricane Center forecast map reflects similar promise. Mr Miller told USA Today that the storm would not reach the eastern U.S. until early next week, making it too early to determine its path with certainty. He said: "It seems at this point that most likely track for Maria would be similar to Jose, staying off the coast but maybe close enough to clip the Outer Banks, maybe New England" with wind and rain.

GFS Hurricane Maria could brush parts of the USA

NHC Most weather models predict that Maria will avoid the USA

When could Hurricane Maria hit the USA? Maria could hit the east coast of the US by Tuesday September 26, if it maintains the GFS model turns out to be correct.

It seems at this point that most likely track for Maria would be similar to Jose Rob Miller of Accuweather

Long-range spaghetti models show a number of outlier tracks colliding with the US’s east coast, though most expect the hurricane to bend east over the Atlantic first. Even if Hurricane Maria does miss the US, powerful winds could still cause major problems for coastal parts of North Carolina. The hurricane is moving west-northwest at 9mph with maximum wind speeds of a terrifying 160mph.

Hurricane Maria: Damage in the Caribbean Wed, September 27, 2017 Latest pictures as Hurricane Maria left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 62 Cars make their way under a partially-collapsed utility pole one week after Hurricane Maria raked the island, in Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

GFS Hurricane Maria is forecast to avoid Florida