Rafael was moving west across the Gulf of Mexico Friday morning as the first major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in November for almost 40 years, bringing the threat of life-threatening conditions to the southern United States coastline.

Hurricane Rafael has strengthened into a Category 3 storm as it approaches the western coast of Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Rafael, a rare November storm, moves across the Gulf of Mexico, posing severe threats to the U.S. coast, while Cuba grapples with widespread power outages and recovery.