Hurricane Rafael is expected to have no impact on Louisiana | Hurricane Center

According to meteorologists with the National Weather Service in New Orleans, there is currently no need for Louisiana residents to change their weekend plans due to Hurricane Rafael, even as the storm heads toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The only direct impact Louisiana is likely to experience is minor to moderate coastal flooding, said NWS forecaster Christopher Bannan.

The storm made landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 3 hurricane. The latest recording from the National Hurricane Center in Miami shows Rafael turning west and moving over the south-central Gulf over the next few days.

“Some weakening is expected as the storm crosses Cuba, but Rafael is expected to remain a hurricane over the southeastern and southern Gulf of Mexico for the next few days,” NHC hurricane specialist Daniel Brown said in an update at 3 p.m.

Although there is much uncertainty about where Rafael will head after entering the Gulf, hurricane forecasters say there is growing confidence that the storm will not make landfall in the United States

Bannan said that while some showers from the storm's outer bands could not be completely ruled out, rainfall caused by Rafael was expected to remain too far south to affect southeastern Louisiana.

However, there is a chance of excessive precipitation in central and southwest Louisiana on Saturday as a weak cold front moves across the state and could encounter moisture produced by Rafael, National Weather Service forecasters in Lake Charles said.

The further south the storm moves, the less likely Louisiana will get rain this weekend, said Andrew Tingler, NWS Lake Charles forecaster.

Unfortunately, even if a cold front moves through the area, residents of the state will not see temperatures cool, other than a few degrees in the evening.

Louisiana residents should continue to monitor Rafael updates.