Hurricane Rafael forecast to rapidly intensify as it heads toward the Gulf of Mexico
Rafael intensified into a hurricane Tuesday as the storm spun across the western Caribbean where it brought tropical storm conditions to Jamaica ahead of hurricane conditions in Cuba.
Rafael intensifies into a hurricane
The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center says that Rafael has intensified into a Category 1 Hurricane. Nov. 5, 2024.
MIAMI – Rafael strengthened to reach hurricane status Tuesday evening and remains on track to emerge in the Gulf of Mexico, where millions of people from Texas to Florida will be keeping their eyes on the late-season hurricane.
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Watch: Rafael batters Jamaica with strong winds, torrential rain
A video shared from Mandeville, Jamaica, shows the effects of Tropical Storm Rafael as the late-season storm battered the region. Strong winds, torrential rain and a potentially deadly storm surge is possible across parts of the western Caribbean.
Rafael intensified into a hurricane as it spun across the western Caribbean. It brought tropical storm conditions to Jamaica ahead of anticipated hurricane conditions in places such as the Cayman Islands and western Cuba.
Watch: Jamaica slammed with damaging winds, torrential rain from Tropical Storm Rafael
A video shared from Mandeville, Jamaica, shows the effects of Tropical Storm Rafael as the late-season storm battered the region. Strong winds, torrential rain and a potentially deadly storm surge is possible across parts of the western Caribbean.
Heavy rain is expected across areas of the western Caribbean, including Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western and southern parts of Cuba. There, 3-6 inches of rain is expected, with locally higher amounts of up to 10 inches possible across the higher terrain of Jamaica and Cuba.
That could lead to areas of flash flooding and mudslides.
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Where is Hurricane Rafael?
Rafael continues to spin in the Caribbean, moving northwest toward Cuba.
Forecasters say additional strengthening is likely for Rafael as the storm continues on its journey toward western Cuba and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.
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Due to the potentially dangerous and deadly threat that Rafael poses, numerous tropical weather alerts have been issued across the region from the Caribbean to the Southeast in the U.S., including Florida.
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What's the forecast for Hurricane Rafael?
According to the NHC, Hurricane Rafael is expected to continue on a generally northwestward movement over the next few days. On that track, the NHC said the hurricane is expected to continue toward western Cuba on Wednesday.
There are still some questions about what will happen next with Rafael after it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, and those along the U.S. Gulf Coast should continue to monitor its progress.
"It's too soon to determine what, if any, impacts Rafael could bring to portions of the northern Gulf Coast," the NHC said. "Residents in this area should regularly monitor updates to the forecast.