Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the deadliest and costliest hurricane to strike the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico, and is the deadliest hurricane to strike the country of Dominica and the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017, Maria was the thirteenth named storm, eighth consecutive hurricane, fourth major hurricane, second Category 5 hurricane, and deadliest storm of the extremely active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. With over 3,000 deaths and a minimum central pressure of 908 millibars (26.8 inHg), Maria was the twelfth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, respectively. Total monetary losses are estimated at upwards of $91.61 billion (2017 USD), almost all of which came from Puerto Rico, ranking it as the fourth-costliest tropical cyclone on record.
Maria developed from a tropical wave on September 16 east of the Lesser Antilles. Steady strengthening and organization took place initially, until favorable conditions enabled it to undergo explosive intensification on the afternoon of September 18, achieving Category 5 strength just before making landfall on the island of Dominica that night. After crossing the island and weakening slightly, Maria re-intensified and achieved its peak intensity with maximu
Why this event still matters
Historical incidents shape the rules that protect people today — building codes, evacuation policy, warning systems and inspection regimes almost always trace back to a specific disaster. Studying Hurricane Maria alongside current events is how preparedness improves.
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