Dorian becomes hurricane, heads toward Puerto Rico

Hurricane Dorian gathered strength east of Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Dorian is approaching Puerto Rico from the southeast although it is blowing winds considerably less powerful than when Hurricane Maria hit the island in September 2017. However, by the time Dorian hits Florida late on Sunday or Monday, it could be a major hurricane, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

The NHC said Dorian was blowing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph on St. Thomas island in early afternoon. Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from back-to-back hurricanes in 2017, which killed about 3,000 people. Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.