HURRICANE RAFAEL PICKS UP INTENSITY AND BECOMES A CATEGORY 3 AHEAD OF CUBA LANDFALL

Hurricane Rafael picked up in intensity and became a Category 3 storm Wednesday ahead of an expected landfall in Cuba later in the day.

Rafael's maximum sustained winds reached 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was about 40 miles east-southeast of the Isle of Youth in Cuba and 85 miles south of Havana, and was moving northwest at 14mph.

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