Photos: Hurricane Rafael devastates Cuba, plunging island into blackout | Weather

Less than a month after Hurricane Milton hit the island of Cuba, the country was hit by another powerful storm: Hurricane Rafael.

Rafael made landfall on Wednesday as a massive Category 3 storm, qualifying it as a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

It lurched across the western province of Artemisa, with winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) reported.

But by Wednesday evening, the hurricane had re-entered the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 168 km/h (105 miles per hour).

From there, its destination was still unknown: It is expected to continue moving northwestward and weaken as it possibly approaches the United States or Mexico.

The Cuban government has already promised aid to the affected areas.

“Major damage in Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana,” wrote President Miguel Diaz-Canel on social media on Wednesday evening. “Every step from this moment forward is focused on recovery. Together we will do it.”

He promised to visit the storm-ravaged provinces “from the first hour” of Thursday to make “accurate assessments” for recovery efforts.

Hurricane Rafael plunged Cuba into a blackout just weeks after a power plant failed on October 18, cutting off power to the entire country.

Earlier this month, Cuba felt the brunt of Hurricane Milton, a storm that intensified to Category 5 at record speed.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to late November, and the past two months have seen record storm activity. Rafael is the fifth major Atlantic hurricane this year to reach Category 3 or higher.