ORLANDO, Fla. -- The National Hurricane Center's projected path of movement for a "monster" Hurricane Ike shows the system approaching Florida as a Category 4 storm next week.

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MAPS: Projected Path Of Movement

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"There is a new monster out in the Atlantic now and its name is Ike," Local 6 meteorologist Tom Sorrells said. "This storm is nasty looking. The path has us all concerned."

Thursday's predicted path showed the storm moving farther east along the Florida coast similar to Hanna's recent path.

"If you look at Orlando and the new track and say, 'OK, if it never moves from here, we are still under the gun,'" Local 6 meteorologist Eric Wilson. "That's our concern and why we are raising awareness. But if the trend is it will continue to move to the north, it could very well just graze us."

Hurricane Ike had winds of 145 mph Thursday morning with gusts to 180 mph as it continued on its track toward Florida.

The system was expected to weaken during the next 24 to 48 hours as it hits shear in the Atlantic Ocean. But by day 4 or day 5, Ike will be out of the shear and into the Bahamas.

"Would you look at day 5 -- the cone takes in part of Florida," Sorrells said. "It could follow Hanna, shoot the gap (south of Florida) or could come churning into the state."

Ike became the fifth hurricane in the Atlantic this season.

"The five-day forecast for Ike does look pretty ominous," Sorrells said.

The storm was moving at 17 mph early Thursday.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.