Hurricane Rafael was gaining strength as it churned north towards western Cuba early on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said, warning it could approach major hurricane status before slamming into the Caribbean island later in the day.

Hurricane Rafael will eventually make it into the Gulf of Mexico, but the atmosphere will be hostile for a tropical system.

Tropical Storm Rafael has begun to strengthen in the Caribbean Sea, and it is expected to reach hurricane strength by Wednesday and bring destructive winds and heavy rainfall to the region. Rafael was approximately 105 miles south-southwest of Kingston,

Tropical Storm Rafael has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it swirled past Jamaica and chugged toward western Cuba

Hurricane Rafael swirled past the Cayman Islands and was expected to rapidly intensify before making landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba, where it's forecast to hit as a Category 2 hurricane. It was another stroke of bad news for Cuba,

Tropical Storm Rafael was rapidly picking up steam on Tuesday afternoon as it chugged toward the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, and will likely become a hurricane in the next few hours, according to the U.