SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean on Monday and will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening into a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba, forecasters said.

Later in the week It is also expected to bring heavy rain to Florida and parts of the southeastern US, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Jamaica, and a hurricane watch was in effect for the Cayman Islands and parts of Cuba, including the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm watch was issued for Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey and Las Tunas in Cuba.

A tropical storm watch was also issued for the lower and middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and for the Dry Tortugas.

The storm was located about 175 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 km per hour as it moved north at a speed of 15 km per hour, the center said.

The storm was expected to move near Jamaica late Monday, be near or over the Cayman Islands as a hurricane on Tuesday and approach Cuba on Wednesday.

Most forecasts show the storm peaking as a Category 1 hurricane, “but conditions over the next few days will favor strengthening, so we will need to monitor how quickly the hurricane organizes, and a stronger hurricane cannot be ruled out,” wrote Michael Lowry. , hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, in an analysis Monday.

On Monday morning, the Cayman Islands government offered people sandbags and announced that schools would close on Tuesday.

“Residents are urged to take immediate precautions to protect themselves and their property,” the government said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Observer newspaper reported on Sunday a major landslide in a rural area north of the capital of Kingston, which officials said was due to persistent rain ahead of the potential storm. No injuries were reported, but some communities remained isolated.

Heavy rainfall will hit the western Caribbean, with 3 to 6 inches total and up to 9 inches expected locally in Jamaica and parts of Cuba. Floods and mudslides are possible.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Patty disappeared.