Rafael lingers in Gulf as it brings life-threatening surf conditions to US coast

By Steven Yablonski and Chris Oberholtz
Updated  November 8, 2024 10:05pm EST
FOX Weather
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    MIAMI, Fla. - Rafael continues to weaken in the Gulf of Mexico and while the cyclone will not directly strike the U.S., it will bring life-threatening conditions to the Gulf Coast. 

    HURRICANE RAFAEL TRACKER: FORECAST CONE, SPAGHETTI PLOTS, MAPS, ALERTS AND MORE

    Children walk through flooded waters after the passage of hurricane Rafael in Batabano, Artemisa province, Cuba on November 7, 2024. (YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
    A resident stands amid debris and fallen trees after the passage of Hurricane Rafael in Artemisa, Cuba, on November 7, 2024.  (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP via Getty Images)
    A girl carries a toddler through a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Rafel in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, on November 7, 2024. (YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
    A high tension electric tower knocked down during the passage of Hurricane Rafael blocks the road linking Artemisa with Havana, on November 7, 2024. (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP via Getty Images)
    A man walks on a street during the pass of the Hurricane Rafael's eye in Pueblo Candelaria, Artemisa Province, 65 km west of Havana, on November 6, 2024.  (YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
    People walk on the streets during the pass of the Hurricane Rafael's eye in Pueblo Candelaria, Artemisa Province, 65 km west of Havana, on November 6, 2024. (YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
    Heavy rain is pictured after the landfall of Hurricane Rafael in Pueblo Candelaria, Artemisa Province, 65 km west of Havana, on November 6, 2024. (YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

    Rafael is currently a tropical storm and is forecast to continue to quickly weaken over the next five days.

    The National Hurricane Center warned that Rafael could bring life-threatening rip currents and surf to the Gulf Coast through the weekend. 

    Cuba and parts of the western Caribbean, however, have been the hardest hit by the storm, which brought damaging hurricane-force winds, flooding rain and a life-threatening storm surge.

    A weather station in the Casablanca area of Havana reported a wind gust of 93 mph around the time Rafael made landfall Wednesday afternoon. Due to the storm's impacts, Cuba was plunged into darkness.

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    Where is Rafael?

    As of the latest advisory from the NHC, Rafael is about 200 miles northeast of Progreso, a port city on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and is crawling westward at 9 mph.

    What's the forecast for Rafael?

    Forecast models favor a weakening pattern through the next several days as Rafael moves into a drier environment and encounters stronger wind shear over the weekend.

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