Hurricane Rafael Update: System Starting to Move Away from Cuba and into the Gulf

The center of Rafael has moved past Cuba, but the outer bands of the hurricane are still producing rain and storms over the country.

Here is Rafael on satellite:

Here are the latest stats from the NHC:

SUMMARY OF 1000 PM EST…0300 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————–
LOCATION…23.5N 83.6W
ABOUT 80 MI…125 KM WNW OF HAVANA CUBA
ABOUT 135 MI…220 KM WSW OF KEY WEST FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…105 MPH…165 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 315 DEGREES AT 13 MPH…20 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…969 MB…28.62 INCHES

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, and
Mayabeque

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* Lower and Middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the
Channel 5 Bridge
* Dry Tortugas

Rafael is currently still a category 2 hurricane with a pressure of 969 mb, but gradual weakening is expected to occur over the next couple of days. We expect the system to stall over the Southern Gulf for a while, before weaking to below tropical storm parameters.

Tropical storm force winds are expected to occur soon in the Florida Keys, and continue through the night tonight. As far as the rest of the US, areas in the southern Gulf Coast region of Texas should continue to monitor this system. Some locally heavy rainfall may occur with this system.

Otherwise, it does not appear that there will be any large impacts for Alabama. The storm should dissipate over the Gulf or shortly after interacting with the southwest US Gulf Coast. However, we will update as we get new information.

Category: ALL POSTS, Social Media, Tropical