Tropical Storm Dean strengthened in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning as it continued on a path forecasters say could place it in the eastern Caribbean as a hurricane by weekend.

In the latest forecast maximum sustained winds had increased to 60 miles or 96 kilometres per hour with higher gusts and some strengthening is being forecast during the next 24 hours which could make the system a hurricane by Thursday.

Early Wednesday morning the storm was centred about 1,045 miles or 1,681 kilometers east of the Lesser Antilles and should continue moving westward near 24 miles or 38 kilometres per hour over the next 24 hours.

Forecasters said while all interests in the Lesser Antilles island chain should continue to monitor the progress of the storm, it was still too early to say where Dean would eventually go.

However, it is being predicted that Dean could hit the Lesser Antilles as a hurricane on Saturday and close in on Haiti and the Dominican Republic by Sunday as a Category 3 hurricane.