Hurricane Rafael slammed into Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon after rapidly intensifying in the Caribbean. The powerful hurricane is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest this late in the year since 2020.

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 2 p.m. ET update, the NHC said Rafael was 70 miles south of Havana,

Forecasters warned Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds, and flash floods to western swaths of the island after it knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica the day before.