Hurricane Rafael makes landfall as a Category 3 storm and brings a life-threatening storm surge to Cuba

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A rare November hurricane is expected to make landfall in the southern United States this weekend, forecasters say.

Tropical Storm Rafael strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday and made landfall in western Cuba as it approached the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The storm brings life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane force winds and flash flooding.

The center said it was likely to emerge as a hurricane in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico this evening.

Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Florida Keys, but it is too early to determine the impact on portions of the northern Gulf Coast. Meteorologists warned that some tornadoes were possible there and in southwest Florida through Wednesday night.

The lower and central Florida Keys could also see up to three inches of rain from Rafael.

The Associated Press reported that island officials closed schools and government offices as a precaution.

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The storm currently has maximum sustained wind speeds of 180 km/h and is moving northwest at 23 km/h.

Rafael, the 17th named storm of this above-average storm season, passed Jamaica, where only minor damage was reported.

The US State Department warned against travel to Cuba and offered departure flights for non-essential personnel. A hurricane warning was in effect for the island provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth.

Rafael is expected to remain a Category 1 or 2 storm before it begins to weaken as it approaches the central U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend. Current forecasts show the storm moving left from Florida toward Texas.

Although the storm will weaken as it approaches the U.S., it is expected to be strong enough to produce rough seas in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering beach erosion and dangerous surf conditions.

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Meteorologists expect some coastal flooding to occur and predict the storm will most likely make landfall along the Louisiana coast, although the exact location ranges from the Florida Panhandle to the Texas coast could.

“The good news is that while Rafael could enter the Gulf as a hurricane by midweek, the likelihood of a storm is very low to reach “Land like a hurricane,” said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, told Fort Myers, Florida. News Press Paper.

There is a chance that the remnants of the storm could drop enough rain on the southern Appalachians to cause flooding. Fortunately, most of this rain is not expected to hit the regions affected by Hurricane Helene, where relief efforts are still underway.

The nonprofit Climate Central said Wednesday that climate change has made the unusually warm Caribbean sea surface temperatures driving Rafael at least 60 times more likely. The group determined that this is the seventh Atlantic hurricane to experience rapid intensification.