Rafael made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon in western Cuba earlier than weakening, the National Hurricane Center mentioned.
In an 8 p.m. replace, the middle mentioned Rafael was transferring over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, about 60 miles west of Havana, and transferring northwest at 13 mph.
It had most sustained wind speeds of 105 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane.
Rafael made landfall within the within the Cuban province of Artemisa, simply east of Playa Majana, as a serious hurricane. As the storm lashed the island, its nationwide electrical grid collapsed, leaving its 10 million residents at the hours of darkness, once more, after earlier collapses final month.
Earlier Wednesday, Rafael strengthened right into a Category 2 hurricane after which to Category 3. It weakened again to Category 2 after it made landfall.
Rafael is anticipated to proceed transferring northwest Wednesday evening, farther away from Cuba, adopted by slower motion to the west-northwest Friday and thru the weekend because it traverses the Gulf of Mexico.
Its energy just isn’t anticipated to alter a lot because it strikes over the southeastern Gulf.
The storm continues to convey life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding to elements of western Cuba.
In Cuba, Mariel reported sustained winds of 80 mph and a peak gust of 115 mph as the attention handed close by. And a NOAA station at Sand Key, in Florida, reported a 66 mph gust, the hurricane middle mentioned.
A hurricane warning was in impact for the Cuban provinces Pinar del Río, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth.
A tropical storm warning is in impact for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara and Cienfuegos, in addition to the decrease and center Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and the Dry Tortugas.
The storm may even convey heavy rain to the western Caribbean by early Thursday, together with 4 to eight inches throughout western Cuba. Isolated increased totals as much as 12 inches are anticipated throughout the upper terrain, “which might result in areas of flash flooding and mudslides,” the hurricane middle mentioned.
Then heavy rain will unfold north into Florida and adjoining areas of the Southeast U.S. by mid- to late week, with 1 to three inches of rain anticipated for the decrease and center Florida Keys.
Tropical storm situations are anticipated within the decrease and center Florida Keys starting Wednesday evening.