Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Dean will probably strengthen today as it sweeps the southern edge of the Dominican Republic and heads toward Jamaica.

The Category 4 hurricane's center was 755 miles (1,210 kilometers) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and heading west at 18 miles (30 kilometers) per hour, the hurricane center said in a 10 p.m. New York time advisory yesterday. Sustained winds were reaching about 145 mph.

Hurricane conditions could reach southern parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic today, the center said. The storm is likely to descend on Jamaica tomorrow.

``Jamaica is the next land mass that is looking at a strong likelihood of a direct hit,'' said Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist and spokesman for the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.