Please see the below update from the National Weather Service (NWS) New Orleans / Baton Rouge and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) regarding Hurricane Rafael.
- The forecast track for Rafael continues to shift farther south,increasing confidence in less direct impacts to the local area.
- Rafael is now a major category 3 hurricane and has made landfall over the far western region of Cuba.
- Major Hurricane Rafael continues to impact portions of western Cuba this afternoon, as it continues northwest and will emerge into the Gulf later this evening into tonight.
- Rafael is expected to drift more west-northwest Thursday and Friday into the south-central Gulf, where slow and steady weakening is expected, eventually slowing down and weakening to a Tropical Storm late this weekend.
