Hurricane Rafael has strengthened into a Category 2 storm just hours before it was forecast to make landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba

HAVANA (Reuters) -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.

Rafael continued to intensify on Tuesday night as it aimed to make landfall in Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said in its 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday update that the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was likely to rapidly intensify into a Category 2 hurricane before reaching Cuba on Wednesday.