Worried travelers and those living on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula were waiting and watching Hurricane Rina on Tuesday after the storm intensified to a Category 2 and appeared poised to make a near-direct hit on the resort town of Cancun later this week.

Rina's maximum sustained winds were near 100 mph Tuesday morning, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. "Additional strengthening is forecast during the next day or so and Rina could become a major hurricane by tonight or early Wednesday," forecasters said.

Forecast models show Rina strengthening into a major, or Category 3, hurricane before approaching the Yucatan. The projected path shows Rina back at Category 2 intensity when it takes aim at Cancun on Thursday.