Rafael continued to intensify on Tuesday night as it aimed to make landfall in Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said in its 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday update that the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was likely to rapidly intensify into a Category 2 hurricane before reaching Cuba on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two systems in the Atlantic basin: Hurricane Rafael and a disturbance approaching the Leeward Islands. Hurricane Rafael has intensified to a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph as it nears Cuba,

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 ...