Fox News' latest storm news said that tropical depression No. 18 has strengthened into tropical storm Rafael. The latest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is getting better organized and is expected to become a hurricane within the next day or two.
"It is too early to determine what impact Rafael could have, if any, on some areas of the northern Gulf Coast," the US National Hurricane Center said.
Rafael is currently 280 km from Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 72 km/h. According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm is moving north at a speed of 15 km/h.
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 latest forecast from the US National Hurricane Center for Hurricane Development says the storm will continue moving north, then turn northwest and maintain this direction in the coming days.
Rafael will approach or pass the Cayman Islands on November 5. The latest storm is expected to head toward Cuba on November 6.
Axios' hurricane bulletin notes that Rafael is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before entering the Gulf of Mexico.
US hurricane forecasters say Rafael will transition from a steady intensification phase to a rapid first intensification and become a hurricane on November 5. Current forecasts show the storm could strengthen to 160 km/h, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.
According to the forecast, areas such as New Orleans and southern Louisiana, US are at risk of being the landfall site of the storm. However, it is too early to know whether the storm will reach Louisiana and the US Gulf Coast.
The National Hurricane Center said that hurricane forecast models provide many forecast routes as Rafael enters the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, current atmospheric conditions in the Gulf of Mexico are also expected to weaken the latest storm. However, the storm could bring heavy rain to Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Rafael is the 17th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which ends on November 30.
Before Rafael, Patty formed in the eastern Atlantic. Patty was about 615 km east of the Azores on November 4, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h while moving east at 31 km/h.
Patty is expected to become a tropical depression in the coming days near the Azores, a chain of islands about 1,287 km from Portugal.
