Hurricane Rafael hit the southern coast of Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 185 cyclone with winds of XNUMX miles per hour, the US National Hurricane Center reported.

The hurricane struck an area about 135 miles (XNUMX kilometers) south of Havana, and the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that most of western Cuba was under the influence of a life-threatening storm with hurricane-force winds, Reuters reported.

The entire region of Cuba is under a hurricane warning, and the provinces of Artemisa and Pinar del Río are expected to be the most affected.

In Havana, power went out shortly after the hurricane hit, schools and public transport in the city were suspended until further notice, while authorities said flights at Jose Marti and Varadero international airports would be suspended until tomorrow.

Police are warning citizens to take shelter.

Officials say they have evacuated more than 100 Canadian tourists to southwestern Cuba, Tanjug reports.

Meteorologists predict that Rafael will later move west of the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said.