Rafael made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon in western Cuba before weakening, the National Hurricane Center said.In an 8 p.m. update, the center said Rafael was moving over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico,

Forecasters warned Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds, and flash floods to western swaths of the island after it knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica the day before.

A rare November hurricane is expected to make landfall in the southern US this weekend, according to meteorologists. Tropical Storm Rafael is forecast to pick up enough strength to qualify as a hurricane as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to make landfall in the south-central US.