Hurricane Maria has grown to "a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane" as it races toward Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

As Hurricane Maria barrels through the constellation of islands that curve through the Caribbean, it is gaining strength – quickly. In 27 hours, it grew from a Category 1 storm to what the National Hurricane Center called “a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane,” with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour as it headed toward Puerto Rico and the already-pummeled British and United States Virgin Islands.

Some islands still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Irma were bracing late Monday for Round 2, closing schools, stores and just about everything else before the storm made landfall.

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