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.

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.

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.