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.

Tropical Storm Rafael strengthened into a Category 1 Hurricane on Tuesday evening near the Cayman Islands, the National Hurricane Center said.At 1 a.m. Wednesday, it had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and was moving northwest at 13 mph,

Rafael strengthened into a hurricane before the its projected impact on Cuba Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.