Hurricane Rafael strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday as the storm is expected to make landfall in western Cuba, which faces “life-threatening” storm surges and flash floods before likely impacting the Florida Keys and other states later this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands and parts of Cuba, as tropical storm ... [+]
Rafael is traveling northwest at about 14 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of up to 115 miles per hour, and the hurricane is projected to make landfall in western Cuba Wednesday afternoon before moving into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The National Hurricane Center warned Rafael will bring a “life-threatening” storm surge, “damaging” winds and flash flooding to Cuba and a portion of the Cayman Islands, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for some Cuban provinces, the lower and middle Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas.
Despite an earlier forecast suggesting Rafael would impact the Gulf Coast, affecting states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said it’s “too soon to determine” how Rafael could impact the western Gulf Coast.
The agency previously said conditions were “favorable” for Rafael to rapidly strengthen through Wednesday before weakening in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico by Friday, with initial forecasts indicating the storm was moving in a “westerly motion” toward Mexico.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
The National Hurricane Center said an updated forecast for Rafael is expected by 4 p.m. EST.
- That’s the number of named storms that have been seen in the Atlantic this hurricane season, including Tropical Storm Rafael, according to the National Hurricane Center. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted up to 13 hurricanes and between 17 and 25 named storms, the most ever forecast by the agency.
Forecasters issued a warning earlier this year saying the Atlantic hurricane season could hit a “record-setting pace.” Hurricane Helene hit the U.S. last month, resulting in hundreds of people dying across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee Florida and Georgia. The NOAA said last month there’s a 60% chance La Niña develops in the U.S. in November and persists through March, marking a new climate pattern that often results in more severe hurricane seasons in the Atlantic Ocean. During a La Niña, the area of low vertical wind shear in the Atlantic expands, increasing the number of hurricanes that develop while allowing stronger storms to form. AccuWeather forecasters said an increase in storm activity is also likely caused by above-average sea-surface temperatures in the Atlantic, particularly in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the tropics, where hurricanes regularly form. Higher temperatures could result in a phenomenon known as rapid intensification, when storms receive a sudden burst in wind speed.