Hurricane Maria to turn north after slamming Puerto Rico. What’s the impact for Charlotte?

Powerful Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning but is expected to stay offshore of the Carolinas as it heads north.

Maria was a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds when its center hit Puerto Rico, which braced for major damage. It is moving northwest at 10 mph.

Forecast models show Maria staying well offshore of the Southeast over the next four to five days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical storm-force winds, of 39 mph to 73 mph, have only a 5- to 10-percent chance of reaching the North Carolina coast over the next five days.

Hurricane Jose, which preceded Maria and followed Category 5 Hurricane Irma, left some ocean overwash on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Monday. Jose is now off the mid-Atlantic coast.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Hurricane Maria to turn north after slamming Puerto Rico. What’s the impact for Charlotte?."