Hurricane Rafael has strengthened into a Category 3 storm as it approaches the western coast of Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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.

On Wednesday, Rafael made landfall in western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, knocking out the nation’s beleaguered electrical grid once again. In October, the unexpected Hurricane Oscar slammed the eastern side of the country, killing eight people and damaging 20,000 homes.