Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba Wednesday as a major Category 3 hurricane. It will slowly meander westward through the Southern Gulf through the weekend. Rafael will spend the next few days in the Southern Gulf as a hurricane,

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

Tropical Storm Rafael was chugging past western Jamaica on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it headed toward Cuba. The storm was located 70 miles southwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica,