Rafael made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon in western Cuba before weakening, the National Hurricane Center said.In a 10 p.m. update, the center said Rafael was moving away from western Cuba as it headed to the southeastern Gulf of Mexico,

The hurricane is in rarified air for storms in November, but will be in much different shape as it approaches the US.

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba as a Category 3 storm Wednesday, bringing sustained winds of up to 115 mph as it batters the already ravaged island before heading to the Gulf of Mexico and churning toward the U.