Tropical Storm Rafael gained steam late on Monday as it churned northward toward Cuba, which is still struggling to recover from a nationwide blackout and hurricane two weeks ago. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Rafael would see "steady or rapid intensification" before plowing across western Cuba with maximum predicted winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph) by Wednesday.

ToplineTropical Storm Rafael is expected to strengthen on Tuesday while becoming a hurricane over the western Caribbean as the storm heads northwest toward the Gulf Coast later this week, impacting the Florida Keys and other states,