The National Hurricane Center's 1 pm Wednesday advisory reported that Category 3 Hurricane Rafael is 40 miles northeast of the Isle of Youth and 85 miles south of Havana Cuba, with maximum sustained wind of 115 mph. It’s moving at 14 mph to the northwest.

Steady to rapid intensification is forecast over the next 24 to 36 hours, Rafael became a Category 1 hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean.

The hurricane is in rarified air for storms in November, but will be in much different shape as it approaches the US.