Rafael, the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, became a hurricane on Tuesday evening as it approached the Cayman Islands, the National Hurricane Center said. A Category 1 hurricane, Rafael reached maximum sustained winds near 75 mph based ...

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. Rafael was blowing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph) after skirting past western Jamaica around mid-day.

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