Tropical Storm Maria weakens near Caribbean - eTaiwan News

Tropical Storm Maria weakened as it neared Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday and was likely to become a tropical depression or disintegrate into a tropical wave later in the day, forecasters said.

The storm had winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was located 310 miles (500 kilometers) east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico late Saturday morning, said the U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued.

As the storm approached, tourists lounged on the beach in the popular tourist district of Condado to soak up the sun.

"We just decided, you know what, even if it hits, we don't care," said 29-year-old Keri Chitester. "We just wanted to get out of Pittsburgh."

Puerto Rican officials warned Maria could dump up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain on already saturated soil, leading to numerous landslides in what has been one of the rainiest years on record.

In the eastern seaside town of Naguabo, Mayor Maritza Melendez asked that hundreds of residents in six coastal neighborhoods evacuate because they were at risk of landslides and heavy flooding.

Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands are still trying to recover from Hurricane Irene, which barreled through the region in late August, killing at least eight people.

"For all my Puerto Rican friends, this last one was distressful," said Philip Rothrock, of Manchester, New Hampshire, who is temporarily working in the U.S. territory. "No power, no water. ...(Maria) is going to delay full restoration of services."

The Puerto Rican government also has canceled all 9/11 remembrance acts scheduled for Sunday.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gov. John de Jongh said he would impose an overnight curfew because of the storm, which has forced the cancellation of numerous flights.