Steady to rapid intensification is forecast over the next 24 to 36 hours, Rafael became a Category 1 hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean.

Rafael made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon in western Cuba before weakening, the National Hurricane Center said.In a 10 p.m. update, the center said Rafael was moving away from western Cuba as it headed to the southeastern Gulf of Mexico,

The hurricane is in rarified air for storms in November, but will be in much different shape as it approaches the US.