Hurricane Michael to bring heavy rainfall to western cuba as it heads toward Gulf of Mexico

Hurricane Michael is bringing heavy rainfall to western Cuba as it heads toward the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and takes aim at Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday.

The Category 1 Atlantic hurricane is currently located about 30 miles (45 km) northwest of the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 km per hour), the NHC said.

Michael is forecast to become a major Category 3 hurricane by Tuesday night, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.

"A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the Gulf Coast of Florida from the Alabama/Florida border eastward to Suwannee River," the advisory said.