Rafael has weakened to a tropical storm and was expected to dissolve over the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.

Rafael remains a "powerful compact hurricane" as it slowly churns in the central Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center says.

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba as a Category 3 storm Wednesday and continues to move toward the northwest Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The National Hurricane Center said at 4:15 p.