Tropical Storm Rafael strengthened Tuesday on its path toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba as weather officials in the U.S. monitored the storm for potential impacts to the Gulf Coast. Rafael was forecast to swipe Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon before intensifying into a hurricane near the Cayman Islands and gaining more steam ahead of its expected landfall in Cuba on Wednesday.

The storm isn’t expected to directly impact the United States, but its moisture will reach Florida and the Southeast. The tropics are heating up once again. Late Monday afternoon, Tropical Storm Rafael formed over the Caribbean Sea.