MIAMI – We’re in for a windy day across South Florida as Hurricane Rafael approaches from the south.

While the worst of Rafael will remain well west of the lower part of the state, South Florida, especially the Keys, will still see some minor impacts starting Wednesday afternoon. They will continue into the evening and early Thursday morning.

Late Wednesday, Rafael’s outer bands will move into parts of the lower and middle Keys where a tropical storm warning remains in effect.

These bands will continue to move through the Keys Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning. Within these bands we should watch for tropical downpours, gusty to damaging winds and the threat of isolated tornadoes. In fact, the risk of severe weather in the lower Keys is below a level 2 out of 5.

The improvements will begin Thursday afternoon when Rafael departs South Florida. The winds will start to decrease and the rain will start to clear, making it drier on Friday and Saturday.