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, now a Category 2 hurricane, is making its way toward Cuba after bypassing the Cayman Islands early Wednesday morning and Jamaica on Tuesday.

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.