Rafael makes landfall in Cuba as a category 3 hurricane

(AP) - Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday as a powerful category 3 hurricane, plowing across the western part of the island shortly after powerful winds knocked out the country's power grid.

Massive waves lashed at the shores of Havana as sharp winds and rain whipped at the city's historic centre, leaving trees littered on deserted streets on Wednesday evening.

Forecasters warned Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods to western swaths of the island after it knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica the day before.

The storm was located 40 miles west of Havana on Wednesday, swirling over the northern coast of the western half of the island. After plowing across the island, the storm slowed to a category 2 hurricane. It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph  and was moving northwest at 14 mph,  according to the US National Hurricane Center.

The storm is bad news for Cuba, which is struggling with devastating blackouts while recovering from another hurricane two weeks ago that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.

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Earlier on Wednesday, the Cuban government issued an alert for the incoming storm while crews in Havana worked to fortify buildings and clear scraps from seaside areas in anticipation of flooding.

Classes and public transport were suspended on parts of the island and authorities cancelled flights in and out Havana and Varadero. Meanwhile, thousands of people in the west of the island were evacuated as a prevention measure.

Forecasters expected the storm to weaken over Cuba before emerging in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane.

The US State Department issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to non-essential staff and American citizens, and advising others to “reconsider travel to Cuba due to the potential impact of Tropical Storm Rafael.”

The storm on Tuesday knocked out power in parts of Jamaica and unleashed flooding and landslides. The Jamaica Public Service, the island's electricity provider, said in a statement late Tuesday that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas.

Power outages were reported across the Cayman Islands after a direct hit late Tuesday, and schools remained closed on Wednesday.

“While conditions have improved on Grand Cayman, residents are advised to exercise extreme caution on the roads and near coastlines as rough seas and residual flooding risks may persist,” the government said in a statement.

Heavy rainfall also was expected to spread north into Florida and nearby areas of the southeast US during the middle to late part of the week. The hurricane center predicted storm surges in Florida could reach up to 3 feet in Dry Tortugas and between 1 and 2 feet in the Lower Florida Keys. A few tornadoes also were expected Wednesday over the Keys and southwestern Florida.

Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season.