One of the world's most well-known hurricane forecasters warned that Hurricane Rita is going to be a "mother of a storm" and could be one of the worst he has ever seen when it makes landfall.

"There is going to be hell to pay," Gray said. "This is trouble with a capital T. The only thing I've ever seen that really looks worst than this was Katrina."

Hurricane Rita strengthened into a Category 3 storm packing 120 mph winds early Wednesday after lashing the Florida Keys and sparking anxiety as it headed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Gray, who has studied tropical weather for more than 40 years, said the hurricane is following the same path as 18 or 20 of the most intense storms of the past century, according to a report.

He predicted months ago that this hurricane season would be active, and he predicts that we'll likely see one or two more major storms before this season ends.

Dr. Gray disagrees with other experts who said the power of these storms is related to global warming. He said there is simply no proof of that.

He said 1933 was a very active season, similar to this year's season. There were 21 named storms in 1933.

Gray said if the storm stays on its current path, it could do $100 billion in damage.

The latest projected path of Hurricane Rita shows the storm moving west toward Texas as it strengthens to a Category 4 storm as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to Local 6 News meteorologist Larry Mowry.

"Rita is going to be a big, major storm in the Gulf of Mexico," Mowry said. "Right now, it is heading toward Texas. That's what the latest track has it doing going into Friday and Saturday."

Rita is the 17th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, making this the fourth-busiest season since record-keeping started in 1851.

Six hurricanes have hit Florida in the last 13 months.

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

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