Tropical Storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean on Monday afternoon and is expected to briefly become a Category 2 hurricane over Cuba later this week, the National Hurricane Center said. It is then forecast to enter the Gulf of Mexico and remain west of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

At 4 p.m., Tropical Storm Rafael was located 175 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and 390 miles southeast of Grand Cayman. It has sustained winds of 45 km/h and is moving north at a speed of 15 km/h.

Tropical storm watches were issued for the Lower and Middle Florida Keys, including Key West, Channel 5 Bridge and Dry Tortugas.

Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to move near Jamaica late Monday night, near or over the Cayman Islands, and approach Cuba on Wednesday, the NHC said.

The storm is expected to quickly strengthen and become a hurricane on Tuesday, the NHC said.

Is Tropical Storm Rafael expected to hit Florida?

Rafael is expected to remain more than 250 miles west of Florida’s Gulf Coast, meaning no immediate impact on Central Florida is expected, although rain will move into the area by mid-week.

The current forecast calls for minimal impacts, mainly rain showers on Wednesday and Thursday with an outside chance of an isolated tornado. Wind gusts could reach 25-35 km/hour.

When does the hurricane season end?

The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, 2024.

So far this year we have had 17 named storms.

Of the seventeen, six have been tropical storms and ten hurricanes. Three hurricanes have made landfall in Florida: Debby, Helene and Milton.