Hurricane Rafael is passing through the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and is forecast to rapidly intensify before making landfall in western Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Rafael was blowing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph) after skirting past western Jamaica around mid-day.

Rafael strengthened into a hurricane before the its projected impact on Cuba Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Little Cayman was left reeling after the passage of Hurricane Rafael, which sank boats, downed power lines and trees, and left the roads of the island covered in sand and debris.