Hurricane Rafael is passing through the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and is forecast to rapidly intensify before making landfall in western Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

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 has intensified into a hurricane, posing a significant threat to the Cayman Islands and western Cuba. The storm is expected to bring damaging hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge,