Hurricane Rafael weakens to Category 2 as it moves west from Cuba after power grid collapse

Hurricane Rafael has weakened to a Category 2 storm as it moves westward from Cuba after making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm caused a collapse of Cuba's power grid, affecting thousands in the western Artemisa province. Rafael is the fifth major hurricane of the Atlantic season and the strongest to hit Cuba in November since 2009. It is expected to meander in the southern Gulf of Mexico, with forecasts indicating it may weaken to a tropical storm by the weekend. In preparation for the storm, Chevron has evacuated personnel and halted production at Gulf oil rigs. Shell and BP have also moved non-essential staff from their platforms.