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.

Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to strengthen and reach near "major hurricane strength" when it makes landfall in western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning. In a 4 a.m. ET update, the NHC said Rafael was 195 miles south-south ...