Tropical Storm Rafael has formed in the Caribbean Sea. It's the 17th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
What You Need To Know
- Tropical Storm Rafael has formed in the Caribbean Sea
- It will strengthen into a hurricane
- Rafael will move into the Gulf by midweek
Rafael is in the Caribbean Sea with max winds of 45 mph and is moving northward. It’s moving through an area of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures, so development conditions are favorable through midweek.
It’s going to begin to bring areas of heavy rainfall and winds to portions of the western Caribbean by early Tuesday, including Jamaica.
Hurricane conditions are expected in the Cayman Islands on Tuesday and in a portion of Cuba on Wednesday, where it is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 storm.
Rafael will move into the southern Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday. It will pass near the Florida Keys on Wednesday as it moves north. There is a lot of 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 Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Jamaica, and Hurricane Warnings are in effect for the Cayman Islands. Tropical Storm and Hurricane Watches are in effect for Cuba.
Check to see how the rest of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is going so far.
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