As the center of Rafael moved on to the Gulf, parts of western Cuba were experiencing "life-threatening storm surge" and flash flooding, the hurricane center said Wednesday evening. All the while, the island's entire population of 10 million was once again left in the dark,

The Yucatán Peninsula is bracing for intense rainstorms on Thursday as Hurricane Rafael heads for Mexico's Gulf Coast, where it will linger.

Hurricane Rafael continued to lose steam in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday after striking Cuba as a Category 3 major hurricane one day earlier. As of 7 a.m., Rafael was still a Category 2