Hurricane Ivan has been a beast for several days now, waffling between 4 and 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity with top sustained winds ranging from 150 to 165 mph. The winds were at 160 mph as of 5 a.m. ET Monday.

Ivan killed at least 65 people prior to its approach to Cuba.

Early Monday, forecasters said it looked like Cuba would be spared the worst of Ivan's fury. The strongest winds are concentrated in a tight region around the storm's eye, and that center now looks like it will slip through the Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico. Parts of western Cuba will still get pounded and hurricane warnings remained in effect.

Ivan will ultimately come ashore in the United States, perhaps late Wednesday or early Thursday.

But where it makes landfall cannot be predicted yet. It could hit anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana, forecasters say, with the most likely target being the Mississippi/Alabama border. By then, Ivan will likely weaken some, but it is still expected to hit the coast as a strong hurricane.

Credit: NOAA