BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) -- Hurricane Rafael is now a Category 2 storm and continues to strengthen in the Caribbean. A 9 a.m. CDT update from the National Hurricane Center said Rafael has maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 mph. Its central minimum pressure is 960 mb. Rafael could become a major hurricane (Category 3) over the next few hours as it continues moving towards Cuba. A tropical storm warning and a hurricane warning are both in effect for the western side of Cuba. The western half of Cuba could see life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force winds, but the eastern half will also feel some of the impacts. Rafael will likely maintain strength as a Category 3 hurricane after it enters the southern Gulf of Mexico by early Thursday. The Gulf of Mexico has slightly cooler water, stronger wind shear and drier air so the environment won't be the most favorable for Rafael to remain a hurricane. We will likely see it weakening to a tropical storm or maybe even disappearing altogether by early next week. The latest projected track from the NHC keeps it farther south and away from the Gulf Coast. We'll likely still have some showers and breezy winds at the end of this week and this weekend, but it doesn't seem likely we'll see Rafael making landfall by Monday. It might not make landfall at all based on previously mentioned factors that would be working against it. The concern level is still low, but also not completely writing off Rafael. This will be monitored over the next couple of days.  Will Louisiana have a cold or warm winter? NOAA releases 2024-25 weather outlook Latest News When do new members of Congress get sworn in and what happens until then? Bezos congratulates Trump for 'extraordinary political comeback' Louisiana lawmakers return to Capitol for special session focused on tax reform Jazz music concert series to kickoff at Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge College football Week 11: 'Bama-LSU, Georgia-Mississippi carry high stakes for SEC and playoff races