Thousands of people in the west of the island were evacuated as a prevention measure before Rafael was expected to slam into Cuba on Wednesday.

Hurricane Rafael upgraded from a tropical storm earlier this week and is on track to make landfall in Cuba. Here's what to know about the storm path.

Hurricane Rafael hit Category 2 strength and will likely intensify further as it churns north towards western Cuba on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said, packing sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) as it neared the Caribbean island's southern shore by mid-morning.