Tropical Storm Rafael became a Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday afternoon as it nears the coast of western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said.In a 2 p.m. ET update, the NHC said Rafael was 70 miles south of Havana,

Rafael dropped from a Category 3 hurricane to a Category 2 this afternoon as it continued moving northwest over Cuba.

Hurricane Rafael slammed into Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon before losing some strength as it passed over the island and entered the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane, which caused power outages in multiple regions,