Tropical Storm Rafael is gaining strength in the central Caribbean and is forecast to intensify into a hurricane over the next 24 hours.
As of 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, Tropical Storm Rafael has sustained winds of 60 mph and is moving northwest at 13 mph.
Rafael is located just south of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, where Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings are in effect.
After moving across western Cuba Wednesday night, Rafael is forecast to move into the southern Gulf of Mexico where it would make its closest approach to Florida, likely late Wednesday into Thursday morning.
What's important to note though is that unlike recent hurricanes, what will become Hurricane Rafael is not expected to move directly toward the peninsula.
This trend has been consistently reflected in the forecast model data. As seen below, the overwhelming majority of the data shows the system moving into the Gulf toward the northwest on Wednesday and Thursday.
The environment this eventual hurricane will find in the Gulf of Mexico will be very different than what Hurricanes Helene and Milton experienced.
Water temperatures, though warm, are significantly cooler than in September and October. This is important because warm water is what fuels tropical systems. This is a contributing factor as to why the hurricane is forecast to weaken as it moves across the Gulf later this week.
Wind shear is also likely to be much more of an impactful player with Rafael than it was with Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Wind shear refers to the change in wind speed and direction with height. When it is substantial, it can work against tropical systems by making it difficult for them to remain vertically organized.
For now, local impacts to Southwest Florida will likely include windier weather (but below sustained tropical storm and hurricane-force wind) on Wednesday and Thursday. We'll also likely see a push of tropical moisture toward the region increasing our community's rain coverage on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
Due to the storm's track away from Florida, winds are forecast to stay offshore, which would prevent any threat of storm surge.
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