Rafael continues to weaken after it strengthened into a category 3 hurricane early Friday morning, making it one of the strongest storms on record in the Gulf during the month of November.
Rafael has now weakened to a tropical storm now with maximum sustained winds at 50 mph.
Rafael will meander over the Gulf of Mexico over the next several days and eventually succumb to a more hostile environment, with stronger wind shear and drier air downstream.
Elsewhere in the tropics, an area of low pressure north of Puerto Rico will move toward the the southern Bahamas this weekend. Some gradual development of this system is possible, but the most likely outcome is some extra tropical moisture drifting toward south Florida by early next week.
Currently, the National Hurricane Center gives this feature a low chance for tropical development over the next 7 days. While it is unlikely to develop, it will still throw tropical moisture our way and increase our rain chances slightly for Veterans Day.
Count on the NBC2 First Alert Hurricane Tracking Team to keep you updated.
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