Tropical Storm Rafael strengthened into a Category 1 Hurricane on Tuesday evening near the Cayman Islands, the National Hurricane Center said.By 10 p.m., Rafael was passing the Caymans, its center having slipped through the waters between Grand Cayman and Little Cayman,

Rafael strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday evening as it lashed the western Caribbean with strong winds and heavy rain. The storm is expected to keep strengthening before it makes landfall in Cuba on Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Rafael is strengthening over the Caribbean Sea ahead of its arrival in the Gulf of Mexico this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.