Hurricane Rafael drifts westward in the Gulf of Mexico

Category 2 Hurricane Rafael is drifting westward in the Gulf after making landfall in Cuba on Wednesday. Rafael made landfall in the Cuban province of Artemisa as a Category 3 hurricane with max winds of 115 mph.

Rafael became a tropical storm on Monday, Nov. 4 and strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Rafael continues to drift westward in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a Category 2 hurricane with max winds of 105 mph. It’s becoming slightly better organized and stronger as it moves over the southeastern Gulf.

As it moves through the Gulf of Mexico, it should gradually begin to weaken because of high wind shear and cooler waters. We expect further weakening over the Gulf, well west of Florida, through the weekend.

The track has shifted and will pose no threat to Florida or most of the U.S. Gulf coast. At this time, a Mexico landfall is possible, but it could also dissipate over water.

Winds and seas will be hazardous in the Gulf of Mexico. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for the Eastern Gulf waters through Friday morning with a high risk of rip currents along the Gulf Coast beaches. Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect over the open Gulf of Mexico waters.

Check to see how the rest of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is going so far.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.