Tropical Storm Rafael is forming in the Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean on Monday and will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening into a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba, forecasters said.

Later in the week According to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, heavy rain is also expected to occur in Florida and parts of the southeastern US.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Jamaica and a hurricane warning was in effect for the Cayman Islands and parts of Cuba, including the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm warning has been issued for Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camagüey and Las Tunas in Cuba.

A tropical storm warning was also issued for the lower and central Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge and for the Dry Tortugas.

The storm was located about 175 miles (280 kilometers) south of Kingston, Jamaica. The center said it had maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km/h) while moving north at a speed of 9 miles per hour (15 km/h).

The storm was expected to move near Jamaica late Monday, be near or over the Cayman Islands as a hurricane late Tuesday and approach Cuba on Wednesday.

Most forecasts call for the storm to peak as a Category 1 hurricane, “but conditions over the next few days will favor strengthening, so we need to monitor how quickly it develops, and a stronger hurricane cannot be ruled out.” “will happen,” Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, wrote in an analysis Monday.

On Monday morning, the Cayman Islands government offered sandbags to people and announced that schools would close on Tuesday.

“Residents are urged to take immediate precautions to protect themselves and their property,” the government said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Observer newspaper reported on Sunday a large landslide in a rural area north of the capital Kingston, which authorities attributed to persistent rainfall ahead of the possible storm. No injuries were reported, but some communities remained isolated.

The western Caribbean will experience heavy rainfall, with local rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches (7 to 15 centimeters) and up to 9 inches (23 cm) expected in Jamaica and parts of Cuba. Floods and landslides are possible.

On the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Patty dissipated.