The Latest Breaking News from Cuba

TAMPA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Ian intensified overnight into a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center, and forecasters expect the storm will be a major hurricane by the end of the day.

The first strong winds ahead of Hurricane Ian began to pound Cuba's south coast late on Monday as officials rushed to evacuate residents, secure boats and batten down homes amid warnings of a life threatening storm surge.

Authorities in Cuba have suspended classes in Pinar del Rio province and say they will begin evacuations Monday as Tropical Storm Ian is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before reaching the western part of the island on its way to Florida

Tropical Storm Ian hurtled toward western Cuba on Sunday, prompting the government to evacuate tourists amid expectations of life-threatening storm surges as it turns into a hurricane on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

MIAMI — On Sunday morning, Tropical Storm Ian remained on track for a potential landfall somewhere along the Florida Gulf coast later this week — with the Big Bend area in the center of a forecast track that could still change.

Cuba, which is holding a high-stakes, islandwide referendum on gay marriage and other family rights on Sunday, has downplayed preparations as Tropical Storm Ian approaches, even as projections for the storm have it hitting the western tip of the island as a major Category 3 hurricane Monday night into Tuesday.

Cuba is holding a rare referendum on an unusually contentious law — a government-backed code that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — South Florida remains out of the current tracks for a direct hit from Tropical Storm Ian, but all Floridians should prepare for a major storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Ian is expected to become a hurricane Sunday, and then grow into the season’s second major hurricane by midweek.