Rafael was moving west across the Gulf of Mexico Friday morning as the first major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in November for almost 40 years, bringing the threat of life-threatening conditions to the southern United States coastline.

The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Rafael grew into a major Category 3 storm Wednesday and made landfall in Cuba on its way into the Gulf of Mexico, while the Florida Keys remained under a tropical storm warning.

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday and has now moved on to the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.