Hurricane Rafael rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane in the Caribbean and is a few hours away from slamming into Cuba. The powerful hurricane is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest in the basin this late in the year since 2020.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two systems in the Atlantic basin: Hurricane Rafael and a disturbance approaching the Leeward Islands. Hurricane Rafael has intensified to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph as it nears Cuba,

The National Hurricane Center's 1 pm Wednesday advisory reported that Category 3 Hurricane Rafael is 40 miles northeast of the Isle of Youth and 85 miles south of Havana Cuba, with maximum sustained wind of 115 mph. It’s moving at 14 mph to the northwest.