Hurricane Rafael will continue to strengthen today before it makes landfall in Cuba. It's forecast to become a major hurricane soon.
Rafael became a tropical storm on Monday, Nov. 4 and strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
What You Need To Know
- Hurricane Rafael is moving through the western Caribbean
- It's forecast to make landfall in Cuba as a major hurricane
- Rafael will move into the Gulf by midweek
Rafael is a Category 2 hurricane with max winds of 110 mph. It’s moving northwestward through the Cayman Islands and will make landfall in Cuba later on Wednesday. It's expected to become a major hurricane before it moves over Cuba.
Tropical storm conditions are possible in the Lower and Middle Florida Keys beginning late Wednesday or Wednesday night.
It will move into the Gulf of Mexico tonight and should begin to weaken because of high wind shear and cooler waters. We expect further weakening over the Gulf, well west of Florida, into Friday.
The track has shifted west and impacts are decreasing for Tampa Bay. It will be breezy with scattered showers and thunderstorms, but the highest winds and rainfall amounts will be west of Tampa Bay.
Winds and seas will be hazardous in the Gulf of Mexico. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for the Eastern Gulf waters later this afternoon through Friday morning. There will be a high risk of rip currents along the Gulf Coast through Friday.
No major impacts are expected in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
Rafael will move into the southern Gulf of Mexico by late Wednesday, passing the Florida Keys through Thursday as it moves north.
There is still some uncertainty in the long-range forecast of Rafael's track and intensity, but strong upper-level winds in the Gulf of Mexico should limit intensification as it moves toward the Gulf Coast.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands, along with western Cuba.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for central Cuba, the Lower and Middle Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas.
Check to see how the rest of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is going so far.
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