Hurricane Rafael lost some intensity and became a Category 2 storm Wednesday after making landfall in western Cuba. The storm brought potentially deadly surge, high winds and flash floods just two weeks after Cuba was hit by Hurricane Oscar.
On Wednesday evening, the National Hurricane Center said the storm had sustained winds of 105 mph and was located about 55 miles west-northwest of Havana.
The storm is now forecast to move into the western Gulf of Mexico and keep roughly the same strength over the next days.
The Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth all remained under a hurricane warning Wednesday night.
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A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara and Cienfuegos, as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys from Key West to the west of the Channel 5 Bridge and Dry Tortugas.
The National Hurricane Center predicts a storm surge from one to three feet in some areas of southwestern Florida, as well as a few tornadoes as the storm approaches in the next couple of days.
It is not yet clear whether or how the storm may affect the western Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Rafael dumped heavy rain across Jamaica on Tuesday, knocking out power and triggering landslides in some areas, according to reports.
Rafael is the 17th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
