Havana was hit by rain and wind as Hurricane Rafael made landfall
Gusty winds and rain associated with Hurricane Rafael arrived in the Cuban capital of Havana.
Hurricane Rafael continues to move slowly away from the US across the central Gulf of Mexico after landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba as a Category 3 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In his latest advice early Friday morning, the hurricane center said Rafael was heading west at Category 3 strength, with maximum sustained winds reaching 120 miles per hour. The hurricane is expected to begin weakening Friday night and continue to weaken, the center said.
Still, swells generated by Rafael could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions for a few more days in the Gulf, the center warned.
Raphael drowned western Cuba and took out the entire island’s power grid when it slammed into the island nation as a Category 3 storm. The blackout it triggered served to intensify a crisis that has left many residents without power for more than two weeks amid a series of power grid failures.
Tens of thousands had been evacuated ahead of the storm’s arrival and about 10 million Cubans remained without power on Thursday as authorities struggled to restore electricity. The country’s state media said it had restored power to some areas but that the capital, Havana, remained largely in the dark.
Additional rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were expected Friday, according to the hurricane centerleading to storm totals of 12 inches across parts of western Cuba. This can cause flooding and mudslides, especially along the higher terrain.
Will Hurricane Rafael hit the US?
USA, especially Floridashould take a break as the latest forecast from AccuWeather shows Rafael sparing the central Gulf region.
Rafael is beginning a more westerly track that will take it away from the United States, and the hurricane is expected to gradually lose wind intensity this weekend, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. This would make Rafael the first hurricane to reach the Gulf of Mexico in 2024 that will not make landfall in the United States
“The impact on the United States from Rafael will be indirect and mostly in the form of rough seas across the Gulf and rough surf along Gulf Coast beaches into the weekend,” according to AccuWeather. “Depending on the extent of moisture in the feature as it moves over the southwest Gulf, there could also be some rain in South Texas next week.”
Hurricane Rafael path tracker
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the storm’s center. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impact, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Hurricane Rafael spaghetti models
Illustrations include a range of forecasting tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the four or five highest-performing models to make its forecasts.
Contributes: Christopher Cann, Dinah Voyle’s PowderUSA TODAY
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
