“Dry air and intense wind shear will tear Rafael apart in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane will quickly lose wind intensity as it approaches the coast. There is a possibility that Rafael could end up meandering in the Gulf off the coast of Louisiana and never make landfall in the U.S. as it falls apart into a cluster of thunderstorms.”

Hurricane Rafael. AccuWeather currently suggests that Rafael is most likely to make landfall along the central Louisiana coast. However, the National Hurricane Center

Rafael continues to strengthen and is now a Category 2 hurricane closing in on Cuba after lashing the Cayman Islands in the western Caribbean with strong winds and heavy rain Tuesday night. Rafael is the 11th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.