Tropical storm Maria reached hurricane status last night, putting the Caribbean on edge once again as it headed toward the Lesser Antilles islands, threatening an area still recovering from Hurricane Irma earlier this month.

The US National Hurricane Center said Maria was moving west-northwest at 15 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.

The advisory prompting a US Army medic unit in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to evacuate.

Officials say the unit will ride out Maria aboard a Navy ship offshore.

Maria comes weeks after Hurricane Irma blew through the Caribbean, leaving a deadly path of destruction.

Irma slammed the part-Dutch, part-French island of Saint Martin with winds of around 175 miles per hour.

The storm later skirted Puerto Rico and Cuba before striking the U.S.

Irma killed at least 84 people, including 33 in Florida... and now those in Maria's path must brave themselves again.