The National Hurricane Center's 1 pm Wednesday advisory reported that Category 3 Hurricane Rafael is 40 miles northeast of the Isle of Youth and 85 miles south of Havana Cuba, with maximum sustained wind of 115 mph. It’s moving at 14 mph to the northwest.

HAVANA (AP) — Hurricane Rafael pushed into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday night after plowing across western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane with winds so powerful it knocked out the entire country's power grid.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba at Category 3 intensity, and will then brush the Florida Keys as it tracks into the Gulf of Mexico where weakening should commence due to multiple atmospheric and oceanic factors.