Tropical Storm Rafael became a Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday afternoon as it nears the coast of western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said.In a 1 p.m. ET update, the NHC said Rafael was 85 miles south of Havana,

Hurricane Rafael continued to intensify on Wednesday, strengthening to a powerful Category 2 storm as it blew past the Cayman Islands and closed in on Cuba.

Hurricane Rafael is passing through the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and is forecast to rapidly intensify before making landfall in western Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.