Hurricane Maria cuts power, floods Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
After killing over two dozen people on the island of Dominica, Hurricane Maria has come ashore in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, after devastating the Virgin Islands as a Category 5. The storm cut power to all of those areas, and NBC News says Puerto Rico might not get power back for another four to six months.* Winds gusted over 130 mph and over three feet of rain has fallen. Here are the wind gusts I've seen over 100 mph:

There are a couple more late-breaking gusts (added after the image was created):
-
Isla Culebrita, 137 mph
-
Cotton Valley, VI: 136 mph
-
Gurabo, 120 mph
-
Camp Santiago, 118 mph
-
El Negro, 116 mph
-
Yabucoa Harbo, 113 mph
-
San Juan, 113 mph
-
Areceibo: 112 mph
-
San Juan Bay, 109 mph
-
Isabel Segunda, 102 mph
-
Del Rey, 100 mph
This is what the storm looked like approaching San Juan (the radar died at landfall:

The San Juan Airport gusted to at least 91 mph; there was a rumor of 95 mph before the wind equipment failed. Those gusts are pretty impressive, considering that only five out of 22 weather stations (METAR/NDBC) in Puerto Rico were functioning at landfall. Three hours later, only one survived. This is due in part to poor maintenance and outdated equipment, and the ramshackle power infrastructure (see below) didn't help.

Flooding rain has been as bad, or worse, of a problem. Over three feet of rain has fallen (assuming the data is sound) in some areas and at least a couple, probably four or five, river gauges have exceeded their previous record heights. As of this writing, it's still raining in some parts of the state (the NASA image above is only through the morning of the 21st). Here are the highest amounts (almost all of these are from USGS gauges):
-
LA PLAZA RAINGAGE, CAGUAS PR: 37.90" (USGS)
-
BO. RABANAL RAINGAGE AT CIDRA, PR: 28.88" (USGS) (Stopped transmitting 9/20)
-
RIO USABON AT HWY 162 NR BARRANQUITAS, PR: 26.46" (USGS) (Stopped transmitting 9/20)
-
BEATRIZ RAINGAGE, CAGUAS PR: 24.73" (USGS)
-
JAGUEYES ABAJO RAIN GAUGE NEAR CAGUAS 5NW: 23.41" (HADS)
-
RIO DE LA PLATA AT PROYECTO LA PLATA, PR 20.60" (USGS)
-
LAGO VIVI NR UTUADO, PR: 20.05" (USGS)

Weather News
