The National Hurricane Center's 1 pm Wednesday advisory reported that Category 3 Hurricane Rafael is 40 miles northeast of the Isle of Youth and 85 miles south of Havana Cuba, with maximum sustained wind of 115 mph. It’s moving at 14 mph to the northwest.

Hurricane Rafael rapidly strengthened to a powerful Category 3 storm Wednesday afternoon as it struck Cuba — triggering a nationwide blackout — on a path that could threaten US states along the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days,