Tropical Storm Rafael became a Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday afternoon as it nears the coast of western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said.In a 2 p.m. ET update, the NHC said Rafael was 70 miles south of Havana,

Even without a landfall in Florida, the state is expected to feel some impacts from Rafael, starting as early as today.

ToplineHurricane Rafael strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday as the storm is expected to make landfall in western Cuba, which faces “life-threatening” storm surges and flash floods before likely impacting the Florida Keys and other states later this week,