(CNN) Jerry strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane Friday and was packing sustained winds of 105 mph in the Atlantic as it headed in the direction of the northern Leeward Islands, forecasters said.

The storm will pass north of the islands later Friday and well north of Puerto Rico Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.

By Sunday, it will be "well east-northeast" of the southeastern Bahamas, the center said.

The hurricane could pass near Bermuda in a little more than four days, it added.

Jerry, which was churning 290 miles east of the northern portion of the Leeward Islands early Friday, is expected to weaken throughout the day but will still remain a hurricane over the next couple of days, the center said. Its hurricane-force winds extended up to 25 miles while tropical storm-force winds could be felt 80 miles from the storm's center.

Read More