Hurricane Rafael quickly strengthened into a strong Category 3 storm on Wednesday afternoon – as it moved toward a path across western Cuba that could threaten U.S. states along the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days, forecasters said.

The ferocious late-night storm, which intensified by 50 mph to 115 mph in just 24 hours, was less than 85 miles from the island and was expected to make landfall around 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane is forecast to strengthen even before it hits Cuba but then weaken as it moves over land, forecasters said.

It will likely then appear in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico – not far from the Florida Keys – on Wednesday evening, still swirling at “hurricane force,” forecasters said.

“Rafael is expected to land in western Cuba this afternoon,” the NHC said in its statement on Wednesday at 1 p.m. “Rafael is expected to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico this evening.”

The storm is expected to hit Cuba as the first Category 3 hurricane since Hurricane Ian in September 2022. In October, Hurricane Oscar – a Category 1 storm – hit the island, killing at least six people.

Rafael raced through western Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon, but despite the heavy rain, no deaths or injuries were reported. It then moved through parts of the Cayman Islands on Wednesday morning.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rafael could be the fifth “severe hurricane” – defined as Category 3 or stronger – of the 2024 season and the strongest to hit the northwestern Caribbean in November since 2009.

Heavy rainfall is forecast across the western Caribbean, including Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, through Thursday, according to the NHC.

The storm's path will take it past the Florida Keys and into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will threaten the U.S. and possibly make landfall somewhere between Texas and the Florida panhandle this weekend or early next week.