Rafael becomes a Category 3 hurricane as it nears Cuba
Tropical Storm Rafael became a Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday afternoon as it nears the coast of western Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said.
In a 2 p.m. ET update, the NHC said Rafael was 70 miles south of Havana, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 115 mph and was moving northwest at 14 mph.
The eye of Rafael was nearing western Cuba, forecasters said at 2 p.m. Rafael is expected to make landfall there this afternoon. Then it’s forecast to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico tonight.
Earlier on Wednesday it had strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. A major hurricane is classed as having sustained winds of at least 111 mph, which would place it at Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
“Some additional strengthening is likely before Rafael makes landfall in Cuba this afternoon,” the NHC said in its 1 p.m. advisory. “Rafael is forecast to weaken over Cuba but is expected to emerge into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane.”
The storm is forecast to bring life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding to portions of western Cuba.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth. Havana was also covered by the warning, which signals hurricane conditions, including destructive winds and flooding.
The government of the Cayman Islands has discontinued its hurricane warning for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac Wednesday morning. A shelter-in-place advisory had been in effect for the islands Tuesday evening.
A storm surge of 6 to 9 feet along the southern coast of Cuba was possible overnight, federal forecasters previously said.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, as well as the Lower and Middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and the Dry Tortugas.
The storm will also bring heavy rain to the western Caribbean through early Thursday, including 4 to 8 inches across western Cuba. Isolated higher totals up to 12 inches are expected across the higher terrain, “which could lead to areas of flash flooding and mudslides,” the hurricane center said.
Then heavy rain will spread north into Florida and adjacent areas of the Southeast U.S. by mid- to late week, with 1 to 3 inches of rain expected for the lower and middle Florida Keys.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Lower and Middle Florida Keys, beginning Wednesday.
Forecasters were still uncertain about the storm’s path once inside the Gulf of Mexico, but said it was likely to weaken again amid the Gulf’s relatively cooler waters.
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