Hurricane Rafael continued to intensify on Wednesday, strengthening to a powerful Category 2 storm as it blew past the Cayman Islands and closed in on Cuba.
With windspeeds of 110 mph, Hurricane Rafael was located about 60 miles east-southeast of the Isle of Youth, and around 130 miles south-southeast of Havana as of 10 a.m., according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. It’s currently moving northwest at approximately 14 mph, putting it on track to strike Cuba at some point Wednesday evening.
In the past 24 hours, Rafael’s windspeeds have increased some 50 mph — and the storm has potential to further strengthen into a Category 3 storm before it makes landfall. Forecasters warned it could bring a life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding to swaths of western Cuba.
Heavy rain from the hurricane was already falling across parts of Cuba Wednesday morning, and it is expected to continue through Thursday, with the possibility of double-digit rainfall totals. It comes after Rafael ripped past Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, drenching both spots with some serious rain.
Ahead of the hurricane’s arrival, the Cuban Civil Defense on Tuesday called for residents to make their final preparations, noting that “it’s important to stay where you are” when the storm finally hits. Authorities also issued an evacuation order for 37,000 people in far eastern Cuba, in the province of Guantanamo, citing the bad weather.
“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” warned the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane warning is in effect Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, along with the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm warning meanwhile was issued for a handful of other Cuban provinces, as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and Dry Tortugas.
Forecasters expect the storm will eventually weaken over Cuba before emerging in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane. But what, if any, threat Rafael poses to the Gulf Coast is still unclear. Earlier in the week, forecast models put Alabama and the Florida Panhandle in the storm’s crosshairs. The current track, however, has shifted slightly west, suggesting Rafael could potentially impact anywhere from Louisiana to northeastern Mexico.
With News Wire Services
