ORLANDO, Fla. -- The latest forecasted track of Hurricane Rita shows the storm passing through the Keys and then strengthening into at least a Category 3 storm as it moves toward Texas, according to Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry.

Hurricane Rita strengthened Tuesday into a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds as it lashed the Florida Keys.

At 1:15 p.m. EDT, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said a hurricane hunter aircraft flying through Rita found it had intensified as the storm's center moved through the Florida Straits between Key West and Havana, Cuba.

"What we are seeing on VIPIR satellite is a flare-up around the center of circulation," Mowry said. "The red in VIPIR indicates colder cloud tops. Basically, what that is saying is that these are higher, thicker clouds producing more showers and thunderstorms. That's an indication of strengthening."

At 5 p.m.., the center of Rita was located near latitude 24.0 north, longitude 82.2 west or about 50 miles east-southeast of Key West, Fla.

Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph, with higher gusts. Rita is a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The hurricane is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico in the next few days and curve north by the weekend.

"The range of probability is pretty large, all the way from Louisiana down to Mexico," Mowry said. "There is a lot of uncertainty where it will make landfall, but we do expect it to be around Texas during the day on Saturday."

What To Expect In Central Fla.

"We are following Hurricane Rita very closely as it is bringing some heavy rain and high surf into our area," Mowry said. "We had a report along the Volusia Coast where the surf is really rough around New Smyrna Beach."

Heavy rain is possible in parts of Central Florida, especially in Brevard County.

Seas in Brevard are 8 to 10 feet and there are dangerous rip currents along the coast Tuesday.

In Volusia and Flagler, scattered showers and rough seas are expected until Wednesday.

Warnings

A hurricane warning remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys, and from Golden Beach on the Florida southeast coast southward to East Cape Sable, then northward to Chokoloskee on the southwest coast.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Ciudad De Habana, and la Habana.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect along the Florida west coast north of Chokoloskee to Englewood.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect along the Florida east coast from north of Golden Beach northward to Jupiter Inlet, as well as for Lake Okeechobee.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Cuban province of Pinar Del Rio.

Thousands Flee Keys

Strengthening Hurricane Rita lashed the Florida Keys on Tuesday with heavy rains and strong winds, threatening the island chain with a 6-foot storm surge and sparking fears the storm could eventually bring new misery to the Gulf Coast.

Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley said he was cautiously optimistic that the islands would be spared the full fury of the storm, with Rita's eye forecast to remain at sea just to the south.

"I think we did, so far, dodge a bullet," Weekley said. "We still have some time to go. It's not the intensity of a (Category) 2 or 3 that we thought it would be."

Thousands of residents fled the Keys in advance of Rita, which forecasters said could dump up to 15 inches of rain -- and a possible storm surge of between 4 and 6 feet -- on some parts of the low-lying island chain.

Four hurricanes struck Florida last year, killing dozens of people and causing $19 billion in insured losses in Florida. Hurricane Dennis brushed by the Keys in July, flooding some Key West streets, toppling trees and knocking out power, before slamming the Florida Panhandle.

Florida was also hit this year by Hurricane Katrina.

The hurricane season started June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

Watch Tom Sorrells, Larry Mowry and Michele Cimino for more on this story.