Rafael lashed the Cayman Islands in the western Caribbean with strong winds and heavy rain Tuesday night, and the Category 1 hurricane is expected to keep strengthening before it makes landfall in Cuba on Wednesday.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Rafael strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Wednesday just hours before it was forecast to make landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba.

Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to become a hurricane by the end of Wednesday. Rafael is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it heads toward Cuba. “Rafael is expected to become a hurricane as it passes near the Cayman Islands with further strengthening before it makes landfall in Cuba,” according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.