[Here is the latest coverage on Hurricane Dorian as it batters the Bahamas.]

Dorian is coming for Florida — that much gets clearer with each bulletin from the National Hurricane Center, even if the forecasters still can’t say just where in the state the storm will crash ashore.

The where is important, but so is the how much. Over the horizon, out in the summer-warm Atlantic, Dorian has been gaining energy since it blew through the Virgin Islands on Wednesday, and is winding up to deliver a devastating punch.

[Hurricane Dorian in pictures: See the preparations here.]

The National Hurricane Center said Thursday that Dorian was expected to hit the east coast of Florida over the weekend as a “major” hurricane, in Category 3 or possibly Category 4.

What do those labels say about how much destruction Dorian may wreak? Here is what you need to know to decipher them.