Tropical Storm Rafael forms in the Caribbean and could hit Cuba as a hurricane

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — 

Tropical Storm Rafael formed Monday successful the Caribbean and volition bring dense rainfall to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands earlier strengthening into a hurricane and apt hitting Cuba, forecasters said.

Later successful the week it besides is expected to bring dense rainfall to Florida and portions of the U.S. Southeast, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center successful Miami.

A tropical tempest informing was successful effect for Jamaica, and a hurricane ticker was successful effect for the Cayman Islands and for parts of Cuba including the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and the Isle of Youth. A tropical tempest ticker was issued for Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, and Las Tunas successful Cuba.

A tropical tempest ticker besides was issued for the little and mediate Florida Keys from Key West to westbound of the Channel 5 Bridge, and for the Dry Tortugas.

The tempest was located astir 245 kilometers southbound of Kingston, Jamaica. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 kph portion moving north-northwest astatine 15 kph, the halfway said.

The tempest was expected to determination adjacent Jamaica precocious Monday, beryllium adjacent oregon implicit the Cayman Islands precocious Tuesday arsenic a hurricane and attack Cuba connected Wednesday.

Most forecasts amusement the tempest peaking arsenic a Category 1 hurricane, "but conditions implicit the adjacent fewer days volition favour strengthening truthful we'll request to show however rapidly it organizes, and a stronger hurricane can't beryllium ruled out," wrote Michael Lowry, hurricane specializer and tempest surge expert, successful an investigation Monday.

On Monday morning, the authorities of the Cayman Islands offered radical sandbags and announced schools would adjacent connected Tuesday.

"Residents are urged to instrumentality contiguous precautions to support themselves and their properties," the authorities said successful a statement.

Schools successful Jamaica besides were scheduled to adjacent connected Tuesday, with authorities offices closing connected Monday afternoon.

Cuban authorities said Monday nighttime that immoderate 37,000 radical remained nether evacuation orders successful acold eastbound Cuba, successful the state of Guantanamo, owed to atrocious weather.

The latest improvement comes connected the heels of Tropical Storm Oscar, which dumped dense rains successful Cuba successful October, leaving 8 radical dormant and a wide blackout crossed the land owed to a illness of the nationalist vigor system.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Observer newspaper reported a ample landslide successful a agrarian country northbound of the Kingston superior connected Sunday that officials blamed connected persistent rains up of the imaginable storm. No injuries were reported, but a mates of communities were near isolated.

Heavy rainfall volition impact the occidental Caribbean with totals of 7 to 15 centimeters and up to 23 cm expected locally successful Jamaica and parts of Cuba. Flooding and mudslides are possible.

Rafael is the 17th named tempest of the season.

On the other broadside of the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Patty dissipated.