The Latest: Matthew set to strengthen as it nears Florida

A structure lays on the ground, brought down by the winds of Hurricane Matthew in Leogane, Haiti. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Matthew slammed into Haiti’s southwestern tip with howling, 145 mph winds tearing off roofs in the poor and largely rural area, uprooting trees and leaving rivers bloated and choked with debris. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Matthew and Tropical Storm Nicole (all times local):

2 a.m.

Forecasters say Hurricane Matthew is now pounding portions of the Central Bahamas and is expected to strengthen as it approaches Florida.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Matthew remains a powerful Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) as of 2 a.m. EDT Thursday. It added that Matthew is expected to intensify over the next day or so and is forecast to again become a dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it nears Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Matthew was briefly a very dangerous Category 5 storm on its march across the Caribbean. By early Thursday, Matthew was centered about 295 miles (480 kilometers) southeast of West Palm Beach, Florida. It also was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south-southeast of Nassau in the Bahamas.

The Miami forecasting center said no changes have been made to the existing hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches as of 2 a.m. EDT.

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11:15 p.m. Wednesday

The eye of Hurricane Matthew was nearing the Bahamas on Wednesday night, and forecasters expect it to intensify and again become a Category 4 storm as it approaches Florida on Thursday.

The hurricane warning area was expanded Wednesday night to include the rest of Florida’s east coast north of Daytona Beach.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami also issued a hurricane watch for north of the Savannah River on the Georgia-South Carolina state line to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. The entire Georgia coast was already under a hurricane watch.

A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the area within 36 hours. A hurricane watch means the conditions are possible in the area within 48 hours.