Rafael strengthened into a low-end hurricane Tuesday night as it approached the Cayman Islands in the central Caribbean Sea, the National Hurricane Center said. The rare November hurricane was expected to continue churning northwest toward western Cuba and enter the Gulf of Mexico this week,

Tropical Storm Rafael is strengthening over the Caribbean Sea ahead of its arrival in the Gulf of Mexico this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean on Monday, a storm that's predicted to intensify into a hurricane and threaten the Gulf Coast this weekend.