Tropical Storm Rafael was rapidly picking up steam on Tuesday afternoon as it chugged toward the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, and will likely become a hurricane in the next few hours, according to the U.

Tropical storm Rafael was chugging past western Jamaica on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it headed toward Cuba.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new tropical storm was expected to form Monday in the Caribbean and bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening to a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba, forecasters said.