Tropical Storm Rafael became a Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday afternoon as it nears the coast of western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Rafael rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane in the Caribbean and is a few hours away from slamming into Cuba. The powerful hurricane is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest in the basin this late in the year since 2020.

Even without a landfall in Florida, the state is expected to feel some impacts from Rafael, starting as early as today.