Rafael is forecast to strengthen Tuesday and will likely become a hurricane over the next 24 hours as it batters the western Caribbean on the first leg of an uncertain journey toward the US Gulf Coast.

We continue to track the progress of what is now Tropical Storm Rafael moving towards Jamaica and Cuba. The forecast from the national Hurricane center calls for the system to become a hurricane before reaching Cuba and the Isle of youth.

The National Hurricane Center forecast Tropical Storm Rafael to grow into the season’s 11th hurricane on Tuesday as it moved toward Cuba with winds and