Hurricane Rafael rapidly intensified into a major category 3 storm in the Caribbean as it neared the western coast of Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Rafael continued to lose steam in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday after striking Cuba as a Category 3 major hurricane one day earlier. As of 7 a.m., Rafael was still a Category 2

The hurricane center cautioned there is "larger-than-normal uncertainty regarding Rafael's intensity later in the forecast period."