Tropical Storm Rafael is set to become a hurricane csurrender the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night before accomplishing Cuba.
Tropical Storm Rafael is anticipateed to fortify into a hurricane in the northwestrict Caribbean csurrender the Cayman Islands with further fortifying anticipated before it creates landdrop in Cuba, the United States National Weather Service alerts.
The storm was discoverd 130km (80 miles) south-southwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Tuesday morning. It had highest carry oned triumphds of 95km/h (60mph) and was moving northwest at 20km/h (13mph), according to the US National Hurricane Caccess (NHC), discoverd in Miami, Florida.
The storm was passing west of Jamaica on Tuesday morning and was foresee to be csurrender or over the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night before accomplishing westrict Cuba on Wednesday.
After Cuba, Rafael’s foresee track will get it into the Gulf of Mexico before running into unfavourable upper atmosphere triumphds and arid air, curtailing its further enhugement, foreseeers say.
Tropical Storm #Rafael Advisory 8: Rafael Getting Better Organized as the Caccess Passes South Of Westrict Jamaica. Tropical Storm Warning Issued For the Florida Keys. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ
— National Hurricane Caccess (@NHC_Atlantic) November 5, 2024
The storm could exacerbate an acute energy crisis in Cuba. Parts of the island have sended prolengtheneded power outages in recent weeks due to decrepit infraarrange and a deficiency of fuel for its oil-fired power stations.
The island is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Oscar, which battered the island about two weeks ago after making landdrop in the eastrict part of Cuba, ending at least six people.
A hurricane cautioning is in effect for the Cayman Islands and westrict Cuba, including the tobacco-grotriumphg province of Pinar del Rio, as well as the capital, Havana. A tropical storm cautioning is in effect for Jamaica and central Cuba as well as a huge portion of the Florida Keys.
“The storm is currently situated in an atmospheric and oceanic environment that is quite conducive for fortifying,” the NHC shelp.
Forecasters cautioned Rafael would unleash burdensome rains atraverse the westrict Caribbean that could direct to flooding and mudslides with totals of 70mm to 150mm (3 to 6 inches) and up to 250mm (10 inches) anticipateed locpartner in Jamaica and parts of Cuba.
Heavy raindrop also was anticipateed to spread north into Florida and parts of the southeast US during the middle to tardy part of the week. A restricted tornadoes also were anticipateed on Wednesday over the Keys and southwestrictmost Florida mainland.
‘Remain vigilant’
Officials seald schools and rulement offices in the Cayman Islands as they advised livents to ready. Long lines were alerted at grocery stores as the storm approached.
Jamaica also seald down as a precaution as the storm’s outer triumphds battered the island tardy on Monday.
“We advise all Jamaicans to remain vigilant,” shelp Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie.
Cuprohibit authorities shelp on Monday evening that about 37,000 people are under evacuation orders in far eastrict Cuba in the province of Guantanamo.
Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season. A tropical storm creates when carry oned triumphds accomplish 63km/h (39mph), and it becomes a hurricane when they accomplish 119km/h (74mph).
Tropical Storm #Rafael has createed in the Caribbean – the 17th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic #hurricane season and 10th to create since 24 September. That’s the most Atlantic named storm createations on record between 24 September – 4 November, shattering elderly record of 9 set in 1950. pic.twitter.com/ZCnkUrv52O
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) November 4, 2024
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration foreseeed the 2024 hurricane season was foreseeed to be well above unrelabelable with 17 to 25 named storms. The foresee called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four convey inant hurricanes.
An unrelabelable Atlantic hurricane season creates 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three convey inant hurricanes.
The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, though storms are less foreseeed to occur in the final month as celderlyer weather prevails.
Rafael would be the 11th hurricane to create this year, with four becoming convey inant Categruesome 3 storms with highest carry oned triumphds of 178km/h (111mph) or more.
