Rafael reached major hurricane status about 24 hours after becoming a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday afternoon. Rafael lost intensity when moving into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after impacting Cuba as a powerful Category 3 hurricane.

Hurricane Rafael gained momentum in the Gulf of Mexico Friday morning and returned to its powerful Category 3 status, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Rafael has weakened to a tropical storm and was expected to dissolve over the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.