A rare Hurricane in November is heading toward the US and might strike as soon as this weekend.
Storm Rafael was raised to a Category 2 hurricane today and could land anywhere from the Texas coast to the Florida Panhandle.
The storm is predicted to hit western Cuba and the Isle of Youth within the next 12 hours…
Latest reports say Rafael will impact western Cuba and the Isle of Youth soon, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and risky storm surges to that area.
After that, experts believe Rafael will move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico tonight as a hurricane.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in Florida Keys, with warnings issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for residents.
People in America have been told to secure loose outdoor items due to high winds and flooding risks.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger mentioned that small changes in Rafael’s strength or wind direction can greatly affect its future path.
If it gets stronger or if winds change direction, its route could alter.
A spaghetti model – named because lines look like pasta strands – showed four possible paths for Rafael toward the US but has a higher chance of hitting Louisiana.
However, NHC has issued a tropical storm warning for Lower and Middle Florida Keys today since Rafael could bring up to three inches of rain along with an increased tornado risk while passing through Florida.
‘Bands of rain with gusty winds will affect this area until Wednesday night. A few tornadoes are possible in Keys & far southwestern Florida too,’ The Weather Channel reported.
According to NHC, it’s still early to know when or how much effect Rafael will have on Gulf Coast but locals should keep checking forecasts for updates.
At around 10:00am ET today, Rafael was located roughly 130 miles south-southeast from Havana moving northwest at about 14 mph with maximum sustained winds reaching up to 110 mph according NHC.
A hurricane warning is active for this region; locals should prepare for ‘damaging hurricane-force winds life-threatening storm surge & destructive waves’ according advisory.
NHC also stated that heavy rainfall would occur over parts of Western Caribbean through early Thursday including Jamaica Cayman Islands & western Cuba.
Once it enters Gulf Mexico ,Rafael is likely going weaken since conditions won’t be good enough for it maintain strength said NHC.
‘It’s also possible strong upper-level winds tear apart Rafeal before making landfall,’ Deger added.
Another prediction shows Rafeal might track westward across Gulf instead heading north towards US which would lessen impacts on US according AccuWeather.
Rafael marks the17th named storm during Atlantic hurricane season in2024 .
While not expected directly impact Florida tropical conditions may add strain on local communities still recovering from hurricanes Helene Milton which caused destruction just weeks apart .
These storms resulted widespread damage across Sunshine State k!lling an estimated total combined54 people .
