The 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was gaining strength Tuesday morning after forming in the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Rafael was forecast to grow steadily, if not rapidly as it churns past Jamaica's west coast on a path for Cuba ...

Hurricane Rafael is swirling past the Cayman Islands and is expected to rapidly intensify until making landfall in western Cuba, where it’s forecast to hit as a Category 2 hurricane.

Tropical Storm Rafael slipped by western Jamaica en route to the Cayman Islands and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane Tuesday evening, federal forecasters said.Rafael, which formed Sunday as Potential Tropical Cyclone 18,