Rafael reached major hurricane status about 24 hours after becoming a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday afternoon. Rafael lost intensity as it began moving into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday evening before briefly returning to a Category 3 hurricane Friday morning.

A new tropical wave has emerged just east of the Bahamas, as Tropical Storm Rafael continues moving through the Gulf, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane RafaelRafael made landfall late Wednesday afternoon in western Cuba as a major category 3 hurricane. The storm has since weakened slightly as it ente