Hurricane Rafael forms in Caribbean as it approaches Cayman Islands, heads toward Cuba [View all]
Source: CBS News/AP
Updated on: November 5, 2024 / 7:58 PM EST
Rafael, the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, became a hurricane on Tuesday evening as it approached the Cayman Islands, the National Hurricane Center said.
A Category 1 hurricane, Rafael reached maximum sustained winds near 75 mph based on recent data from aircraft reconnaissance, the National Hurricane Center said in a 7:20 p.m. ET advisory.
The center of the hurricane is located 20 miles southeast of Little Cayman in the Caribbean Sea, and 305 southeast of Havana, Cuba. Damaging hurricane-force winds, a dangerous storm surge and destructive waves are expected, forecasters said, with the storm expected to strengthen before reaching Cuba. It was moving northwest at 15 mph.
The Miami-based hurricane center said the system was expected to approach the northwest part of Cuba around the time it reaches hurricane strength. A map charting Rafael's projected path through the Caribbean, created by CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan, shows the storm nearing Cuba Wednesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tropical-storm-rafael-potential-18-jamaica-cayman-islands/
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