Maria has already brought "widespread damage" to Dominica and is on track to hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as a dangerous and powerful category 5 hurricane.
Global weather models have suggested that Maria could reach the US East Coast next week.
We will have the very latest Hurricane Maria news in one place, updated throughout the day and night until the storm has passed.
Here are live updates from the the NOAA, National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the most advanced weather models from around the world. All times EDT.The 11am EDT (4pm BST) update from NOAA's NHC, placed the eye of the storm 115 miles (180 km) west of Guadeloupe and 150 miles (240 km) southeast of St Croix.
The NHC said: "Maria is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h), and this general
motion is expected to continue through Wednesday night.
"On the forecast track, the eye of Maria will move over the northeastern Caribbean Sea today, and then pass near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday."
The Caribbean is at danger of life-threatening storm surges and flooding, as the storm with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) pushes onward.
10.27am: Giant 26 foot waves spotted ahead of Hurricane Maria's arrival in Puerto Rico
A NOAA buoy located just 30 miles northwest from the centre of Hurricane Maria is reporting 26 foot tall waves raging in the Caribbean Sea.
Meanwhile NBC 10 meteorologist Glenn Schwartz is reporting that the weather front is approaching the radar range of San Juan in Puerto Rico.
The National Weather Service in San Juan also tweeted: "Showers with wind gusts of 30-40 mph associated with the outer bands of Hurricane Maria affecting the USVI."
10am: Sebastian Kettley taking over live reporting from Reiss Smith
9.55am: Maria path update
A new path model shows how Maria will weaken slightly to a category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches the Virgin Islands.
The storm’s cone completely engulfs the Virgin islands as well as the north coast of the Dominican Republic.Hurricane Irma is showing signs of intensifying, meteorologist Michael Ventrice has tweeted.
“Major Hurricane Maria shows indications of restrengthening on satellite as the hurricane moves over ocean waters at or above 86F,” he wrote.
“Pressures are falling in the eye of Maria via latest Hurricane Hunter recon with a minimum pressure now at 932mb.”
Maria is already at category 5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 160mph as per the latest NOAA public advisory.
9.00am: Maria’s Puerto Rico landfall time revealed
Meteorologist Mike Thomas has said that Maria will make landfall in Puerto Rico at 8am on Wednesday, according to the latest European model.
The island will experience the worst of the storm between 2am and 5pm.
8.00am: Maria remains 'potentially catastrophic' hurricane – latest NOAA update
Hurricane Maria remains a powerful category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160mph, according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center’s 8am update.
Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Maria is forecast to remain a "potentially catastropic" category 4 or 5 hurricane as it approaches the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight.
The storm is currently located about 85 miles west of Guadeloupe and about 170 miles southeast of St Croix, and is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph. This general motion is expected to continue through Wednesday.
The NOAA said: “On the forecast track, the eye of Maria will move over the northeastern Caribbean Sea today, and approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and Wednesday.”
Read the full 8am Hurricane Maria update from the NOAA here.
6.45am: First pictures of Hurricane Maria damage
The first pictures of Hurricane Maria lashing Guadeloupe have emerged, showing trees uprooted and streets lined with debris.
A communications blackout on the island means that it will be several more hours before damage there could be assessed, a senior French Civil Protection official has said.
“Right now we’re in a blackout zone, so it’s very, very hard to communicate with Guadeloupe,” Jacques Witkowski said.
“In Martinique, reconnaissance operations are still underway but already we can see that there is no significant damage,” he added.
Two people on Martinique are reported to have suffered minor injuries
“It will essentially devastate most of the island,” he warned on USA Today.
“It will provoke massive flooding in flooding prone regions ... our priority is to save lives.”
5.45am: Maria could further strengthen before Puerto Rico hit
Meteorologist Michael Ventrice has warned that Hurricane Maria could intensify even further before it reaches Puerto Rico.
“Clouds have warmed since Maria tracked over Dominica, but there's a lot more warm water to go for re-intensification prior to Puerto Rico,” he wrote on Twitter.
5.20am: Maria back at category 5 strength
Maria has regained category 5 strength as it heads for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, according to the 5am EDT update from the NOAA National Hurricane Center.
US Air Force Hurricane Hunter air craft recorded maximum sustained winds of 160mph.
The NOAA said: “Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 or 5 hurricane while it approaches the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
“On the forecast track, the eye of Maria will move over the northeastern Caribbean Sea today, and approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and Wednesday.”
Maria is currently located about 65 miles west-southwest of Guadeloupe and about 205 miles southeast of St Croix, and is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph.
This general motion is expected to continue through Wednesday.
Read the full 5am Hurricane Maria update from the NOAA here.
3.30am: Maria could hit North Carolina
Hurricane Maria could hit North Carolina next week, according to the latest GFS weather model.
The model shows Maria skirting the east coast at the start of next week, with adverse weather conditions reaching North Carolina by Tuesday September 26.
Other models have Maria tracking further east into the Atlantic.
Nick Petro of the National Weather Service in Raleigh has said that it is too early to forecast whether Maria will make direct landfall with North Carolina.
“There are too many possibilities right now,” Petro told The Raleigh News & Observer, a local newspaper in North Carolina.
However, he said that even if Maria stays “hundreds of miles” away from the east coast, rip currents are guaranteed.
3.10am: Maria will miss Guadeloupe
A new radar map from Keraunos – France’s observatory of storms and tornadoes – shows Maria’s eye skimming south-west of Guadeloupe.
The French territory will, however, feel the brunt of the eye wall, which has been lashing the island with rain and winds of up to 68 mph.
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