CHARLOTTE -- Hurricane Irma continues to grind to the northwest across the U.S. Virgin Islands Wednesday evening and then near Puerto Rico on Wednesday night. The storm remains a Category 5 with winds around 185 mph.

Irma will continue to the northwest for the next few days before arriving near the Florida Keys by the latter part of the weekend. From there, Irma will likely take a turn to the north.

At this point, the chances are increasing that Irma will continue north toward the Carolinas early next week, mostly likely Monday night or Tuesday. The types and magnitude of the impacts remain unclear, but it's never to early to prepare for a storm such as this.

There's still ample time for Irma to turn back out to sea once moving through the southern tip of Florida. However, it may still be a couple of days before we have a more clear idea.

In the meantime, drier weather is on tap for Thursday. In fact, despite all the "Irma" talk, the weather the next several days in the Carolinas will be spectacular with pleasant daytime highs and coolish overnight lows.