Invest 98L not expected to develop as remnants of Rafael churns over Gulf of Mexico

Rafael quickly weakening

FOX 13 News Meteorologist Valerie Mills says Tropical Storm Rafael is quickly weakening. As it takes a dive to the south, it will continue to weaken even more. Invest 98L is just east of the Bahamas. It has a very low chance of development and is not expected to reach Florida.

TAMPA, Fla. - There may only be a few weeks left of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, but the basin remains active as forecasters continue to monitor a weakening Post-Tropical Cyclone Rafael in the Gulf of Mexico and Invest 98L swirling near the Bahamas.

Rafael has been lingering the Gulf since it made landfall in Cuba last week, but it doesn’t pose a direct threat to the U.S. and is expected to become a distant memory by the start of the new workweek. It degenerated into a post-tropical remnant low on Sunday.

And to the east of Rafael in the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is tracking a tropical disturbance that was designated Invest 98L over the weekend. However, its chances of survival are quite dim.