Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall in western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning.

Hurricane Rafael rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane in the Caribbean and is a few hours away from slamming into Cuba. The powerful hurricane is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest in the basin this late in the year since 2020.

Hurricane Rafael will rake Cuba’s coast with Category 3 winds later Wednesday before it crosses the island nation and emerges into the Gulf of Mexico, weakened but on a track that could threaten the US or Mexico.