Hurricane Rafael swirled past the Cayman Islands and was expected to rapidly intensify until making landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba, where it's forecast to hit as a Category 2 hurricane. Read more: How rare are November hurricanes in the Gulf? Rafael will be one of few in history.

Rapidly intensifying, Rafael will be a strong Category 2 storm as it crosses over Cuba and into the Gulf of Mexico where momentum will carry it north to west of the Florida Keys.