Hurricane Rafael barreled toward Cuba on Wednesday, forecast to make landfall in western Cuba as a major Category 3 hurricane that forecasters warn could bring “life-threatening” storm surges,

Hurricane Rafael is rapidly intensifying in the Caribbean and is expected to become a Category 3 hurricane before it slams into Cuba Wednesday. As of Wednesday morning, Rafael was a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph – just 1 mph away from Category 3 status – and 130 miles from Cuba.

Rafael continued to intensify on Tuesday night as it aimed to make landfall in Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said in its 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday update that the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was likely to rapidly intensify into a Category 2 hurricane before reaching Cuba on Wednesday.