Tropical Storm Rafael Strengthens to Hurricane on Path to Cuba

Tropical Storm Rafael was upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane this week on its current path towards Cuba.

This marked yet another setback for Cuba, already grappling with widespread blackouts and still recovering from a hurricane two weeks prior that left at least six people dead in the island’s eastern region.

Current Location of Rafael

As of Tuesday morning, the storm was positioned 20 miles (35 kilometers) southeast of Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and moving northwest at 15 mph (24 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.

“7:20pm EST Tuesday: #Rafael has been upgraded to a #hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph based on recent data from aircraft reconnaissance. The center is located 20 miles SE of Little Cayman in the Caribbean Sea,” the NHC said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Current Warnings

Prior to strengthening into a hurricane, the NHC shared an update on the status of Rafael, saying that it is “forecast to be a hurricane when it passes near or over the Cayman Islands during the next 12 hours, where damaging hurricane-force winds, a dangerous storm surge and destructive waves are expected.”

“Tropical Storm conditions are expected in the Lower and Middle Florida Keys beginning Wednesday and Wednesday night,” the update said. “Rafael will bring areas of heavy rain across portions of the Western Caribbean through early Thursday, including Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, along with southern and western portions of Cuba. Flash flooding and mudslides are possible along the higher terrain in Jamaica and Cuba.”

Rafael Forces Ship to Change Path

Earlier this week, MSC Cruises announced an alteration to the planned itinerary of one of its ships as Rafael bears down on the Caribbean.

The storm, which formed earlier this week, and was officially named by the NHC on Tuesday, has intensified, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rainfall across popular cruise destinations, prompting the cruise line to prioritize passenger safety by rerouting its MSC Seascape ship.

A spokesperson for MSC Cruises told Newsweek on Tuesday: “MSC Seascape called [at] Costa Maya instead of Falmouth on Monday, November 4, and Isla de Roatan instead of Georgetown on Tuesday, November 5, due to Tropical Storm Rafael’s projected path. The ship will return to Miami on Saturday, November 9, as scheduled.”

Passengers were notified about the changes in itinerary in a letter written by MSC Seascape’s Captain Michele Tuvo, as they boarded the ship at Miami on Saturday, as reported by website Cruise Hive.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.