“On the forecast track, the storm is expected to move near Jamaica this morning, be near or over the Cayman Islands tonight, and be near or over western Cuba on Wednesday,” forecasters said. “Steady to rapid intensification is forecast over the next ...

Here’s the latest forecast track of Tropical Storm Rafael, which is expected to become a hurricane on a track toward the US Gulf coast.

The storm is expected to move through the Caribbean in the next few days. Forecasters are uncertain of where it will go once it enters the Gulf of Mexico by the middle of the week.

Tropical Storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean on Monday, a storm that's predicted to intensify into a hurricane and threaten the Gulf Coast this weekend.

While Tropical Storm Rafael winds remained consistent Monday night, the storm is forecast to strengthen Tuesday and become a hurricane Wednesday, bringing destructive winds and heavy rainfall to the western Caribbean and southern Florida by midweek.

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.

A disturbance in the Caribbean strengthened Monday afternoon into Tropical Storm Rafael, which is forecast to become a hurricane Tuesday.