Another hurricane is set to batter the Caribbean and potentially the southern USA, as the area works to rebuild communities after the damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said the latest hurricane, Maria, which has recorded winds of more than 160mph, has intensified and remains "extremely dangerous".

Hurricane Maria is now a "potentially catastrophic" category five storm as it continues on a collision course with British overseas territories already battered by Irma.

Emergency steps are being undertaken on the British Virgin Islands to prepare for the onslaught, although an official coordinating the operation has warned the islands had been "weakened" by Irma and the situation "doesn't look good".

When is Hurricane Maria forecast to hit the Caribbean?

Following a similar path to Irma, Maria's "intense" centre made landfall with Dominica on Monday and the hurricane is expected to reach the British Virgin Islands on Tuesday night and into Wednesday.

A hurricane warning has been issued for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique.

Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius and St Lucia are under the effect of a tropical storm warning.

How strong is Hurricane Maria and when will it strike?

The Met Office has confirmed Maria is currently a ‘category 1’ storm - which is the lowest hurricane scale. Maria was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Sunday.

According to the forecasters, Maria is set to pass over the east Caribbean islands on Monday or early on Tuesday.

How strong was Hurricane Irma?

A beachfront home shows damage from Hurricane Irma on September 13, 2017 in Vilano Beach, Florida. Nearly 4 million people remained without power more than two days after Irma swept through the state
A beachfront home shows damage from Hurricane Irma on September 13, 2017 in Vilano Beach, Florida. Nearly 4 million people remained without power more than two days after Irma swept through the state

Irma was a category 5 storm for three days, which is the highest rating on the scale. Barbuda, which is one of the islands in Maria’s path, suffered 90% damage when Irma hit it.

Will Maria get stronger?

Maria has been upgraded from a category 1 hurricane to a category 5.

Weather Channel forecasters say: "Maria rapidly intensified Monday thanks to a combination of low wind shear, a moist atmosphere and warm ocean temperatures.

Will the hurricane hit Florida again?

Forecasters say it is “too early” to know if Maria will threaten America’s East Coast.

Whether Maria will ever pose an East Coast threat will depend on steering currents in the upper atmosphere over the western Atlantic Ocean and the eastern United States that cannot be pinned down this far in advance, say the Weather Channel.

I’ve got a holiday booked, should I travel to the Caribbean or Florida?

A worker uses a pressure cleaner to wash the exterior of the Colony Hotel in Miami Beach after Hurricane Irma passed through the area

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising against all travel to the British Virgin Islands as Maria is expected to make landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday, with severe damage and coastal flooding expected.

Foreign Office officials have also warned against all but essential travel to Montserrat, where residents voiced concerns that the hurricane will strike the island from the south, creating a "very serious" situation.

Meanwhile the NHC has issued a hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the area, for the island of Anguilla, a British overseas territory badly affected by hurricane Irma.

If you are heading to the Caribbean or the USA’s East Coast, check updates with the FCO on whether or not it is advisable to travel.