Hurricane Maria is gradually weakening as it moves over cool waters, and is expected to remain offshore of the United States. As of 11:00 p.m. EDT Monday, Hurricane Maria was centered near 32.3°N 73.1°W, and was moving northward at about 7 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 70 knots (80 mph), with an estimated minimum pressure of 969 mb. The structure of Maria does not resemble a typical hurricane, as the convection is fairly shallow and nearly all of the hurricane force winds are in the eastern semicircle. Maria is expected to make its closest approach to the Outer Banks of North Carolina early Wednesday. Watches and Warnings remain the same as yesterday. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bogue Inlet to the North Carolina/Virginia border and Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Cape Lookout to Duck. Maria is likely to cause rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches over the Outer Banks, with rough surf and rip currents also expected. Inland North Carolina is not likely to be significantly impacted by Maria. Maria is likely to weaken to a tropical storm by Wednesday, if not sooner, and should accelerate to the northeast and become a post-tropical cyclone by the weekend.

I will be back with another post tomorrow, in which I will discuss Maria as well as Lee, which is no threat to land and has changed little in intensity since yesterday.