The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Irene could become a major hurricane later Tuesday or on Wednesday as the storm passes near the central Bahamas.

Irene – currently off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic – has winds of 160 kilometer per hour, placing hurricane warnings on parts of the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as parts of the Bahamas.

Forecasters say Irene is expected to intensify into a category 3 storm on a 5-category scale, meaning winds will exceed 178 kilometers per hour as the storm approaches the Bahamas. Irene has already been dumping considerable rain on the Dominican Republic and raised tide levels in the region.

Longer-range predictions by the hurricane center have Irene becoming a category 4 storm with winds of at least 210 kilometers per hour as it passes over open water heading toward the east coast of the U.S. later in the week.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency is urging people along coastal areas of the southeastern U.S. to closely monitor the hurricane and prepare for potential severe weather in the coming days.

Irene intensified into a hurricane over Puerto Rico before dawn Monday, flooding streets, knocking down trees and cutting power to about 1 million residents. There were no reports of serious injuries.

Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuno, declared a state of emergency to mobilize aid from the U.S. federal government. Schools, government offices and businesses in the territory remained closed Monday.

The British Virgin Islands home of British tycoon Richard Branson was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightening. British actress Kate Winslet was visiting Branson's home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported, but Winslet did carry Branson's 90-year-old mother to safety.