Tropical storm warning issued for Florida Keys as Rafael forecast to grow into hurricane
MIAMI - The lower and middle Florida Keys are under a tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Rafael is forecast to grow steadily as it churns past Jamaica's west coast on a path for Cuba, where it's expected to arrive later in the week as a hurricane.
A tropical storm warning is also issued for portions of Cuba and Jamaica. A hurricane warning is in effect for parts of Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
On Tuesday morning, Rafael was strengthening as it moved near Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. It was moving to the northwest at 14 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Rafael is expected to move near or over parts of the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night and be near or over western Cuba on Wednesday.
Rafael is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane as it passes near the Cayman Islands with further strengthening before making landfall in Cuba.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in Jamaica through early Tuesday afternoon and in parts of west-central Cuba and the lower and middle Florida Keys on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
The National Hurricane Center said the heaviest rainfall was forecast to hit Jamaica on Tuesday, with Cuba likely to face a strengthened storm by Wednesday. Rainfall will likely be accompanied by hurricane conditions in the Cayman Islands by Tuesday afternoon and possibly in western Cuba and the Isle of Youth by Wednesday.
Heavy rainfall was expected to spread north into Florida and elsewhere in the southeast U.S. by the middle or end of the week, with as much as 3 inches forecast for the lower and middle Florida Keys.
