WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Hurricane Wilma, a Category 4 storm which is lashing eastern Mexican coastline, will weaken to Category 3 or less before making landfall in the United States earlier next week, US forecasters said Friday.

    Max Mayfield, director of the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), said Wilma will likely weaken from a Category 4 storm to Category 3 or less before hitting the US territory.

    He said Wilma, once the most intense hurricane on record in the Americas, will likely strike Florida's western coast sometime Monday afternoon, more than two days later than previously thought.

    But Mayfield also said Wilma will still probably be a strong hurricane with a powerful storm surge when it reaches Florida.

    NHC forecasters said Wilma is expected to turn northeastward towards Florida after striking Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in the western Caribbean Sea.

    Although Wilma is likely to hit Florida from the west, forecasters warned that major cities on the east side of the state,including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, could be lashed by strong winds and heavy rains.

    To preparing for the storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has assembled 150 truckloads of ice and another 150 truckloads of water, and the Red Cross has 200,000 meals available.

    Florida Governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency Thursday, saying the state had food, water, ice and other supplies ready and disaster-response teams that include up to 7,500 National Guard members on standby.

    Latest reports from the NHC said the outer eyewall of Wilma hasmade landfall in Cozumel, Mexico, and predicted it could cause "catastrophic damage" to eastern Mexican coastline. Enditem