Hurricane Rafael Heads into the Gulf; Models say it won't hit Florida

Hurricane Rafael strengthened south of Cuba on Wednesday, with winds now reaching 110 miles per hour.

Rafael is near the Island of Youth in Cuba and will make landfall in western Cuba later on Wednesday. Rafael is expected to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico this evening.

The system will not impact the Florida peninsula as a ridge of high pressure is steering the tropical storm west of the state.

Models now suggest the hurricane may never reach the United States.

In the later part of the forecast period, it appears that a mid-level ridge may form north of the tropical cyclone, forcing Rafael to turn west or southwest this weekend.

This is a big shift from previous forecasts that showed landfall from Louisiana to Texas, and will need to be kept in mind for further confirmation in future model runs.

Additionally, adverse weather conditions are expected to develop in the Gulf, making strengthening less favorable, and Hurricane Rafael could weaken before potentially making landfall.

We are also observing a low pressure area producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms east-northeast of the Leeward Islands.

This system is expected to move generally westward over the next few days, and a low pressure area could form near the northern Leeward Islands this evening or Thursday.

Thereafter, gradual development of this system is possible toward the end of the week and into the beginning of the weekend as it moves near or north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and approaches the southeastern Bahamas.