Rafael reached a Category Three hurricane status about 24 hours after becoming a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday afternoon. Rafael dropped to a Category 2 intensity as it began moving into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday evening.

Rafael strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane overnight, with sustained winds of 120 mph, but the latest path seems to be heading away from Florida and the rest of the U.S. in a meandering trip through the Gulf of Mexico where it is expected to weaken over the next few days, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.