Hurricane Rafael formed over the Caribbean Sea Tuesday evening and is expected to rip through portions of Cuba Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after rapidly intensifying over warm waters. But once the storm enters the Gulf of Mexico, hurricane forecasters ...

Rafael will make a landfall in Cuba as a major Category 3 hurricane, but it will weaken considerably as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Rafael is rapidly intensifying in the Caribbean and is expected to become a Category 3 hurricane before it slams into Cuba Wednesday. As of Wednesday morning, Rafael was a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph – just 1 mph away from Category 3 status – and 130 miles from Cuba.