Hurricane Rafael barreled toward Cuba on Wednesday, forecast to make landfall in western Cuba as a major Category 3 hurricane that forecasters warn could bring “life-threatening” storm surges,

Hurricane Rafael will rake Cuba’s coast with Category 3 winds later Wednesday before it crosses the island nation and emerges into the Gulf of Mexico, weakened but on a track that could threaten the US or Mexico.

Rafael continued to intensify on Tuesday night as it aimed to make landfall in Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said in its 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday update that the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was likely to rapidly intensify into a Category 2 hurricane before reaching Cuba on Wednesday.