Tropical Depression 18 has strengthened into Tropical Storm Rafael, according to Fox News' latest hurricane report. The newest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is getting better organized and is expected to become a hurricane in the next day or two.
"It is still too early to determine what impact, if any, Hurricane Rafael may have on some areas of the northern Gulf Coast," the US National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Rafael is currently 175 miles (280 kilometers) from Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 km/h). The storm is moving north at 9 mph (15 km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Rafael is forecast to become a hurricane as it passes through the Cayman Islands on November 5. Tropical storm conditions have been reported in Jamaica since November 4.
The US National Hurricane Center's latest forecast for Hurricane Rafael says the storm will continue moving north, then turn northwest and maintain that direction in the coming days.
Hurricane Rafael is expected to approach or pass the Cayman Islands on November 5. The latest storm is then expected to head toward Cuba on November 6.
Axios' hurricane report notes that Hurricane Rafael is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before entering the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane forecasters in the United States say that Hurricane Rafael will move from a steady strengthening phase to a rapid peak intensity and become a hurricane on November 5. Current forecasts show that the storm could strengthen to 160 km/h, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.
According to forecasts, areas such as New Orleans and southern Louisiana, the US are at risk of making landfall. However, it is still too early to know whether the storm will reach Louisiana and the US Gulf Coast.
The National Hurricane Center said hurricane models show a range of possible paths as Rafael moves into the Gulf of Mexico. Current atmospheric conditions in the Gulf of Mexico are also expected to weaken the latest storm. Still, the storm could bring heavy rain to Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Rafael is the 17th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which ended on November 30.
Ahead of Hurricane Rafael, Hurricane Patty formed in the eastern Atlantic. Hurricane Patty was about 615 km east of the Azores on November 4, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h (45 mph) as it moved east at 31 km/h (19 mph).
Hurricane Patty is forecast to become a tropical depression in the coming days near the Azores, an island chain about 1,287 kilometers (800 miles) from Portugal.
