Tropical Storm Rafael Threatens Caribbean Islands; Hurricane Alert Issued!

Tropical storm Rafael, which developed from a tropical depression in the Atlantic on Monday, has put Cuba, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands on high alert. The storm is expected to intensify over the week and could potentially develop into a hurricane.

As per the latest bulletin from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 21:00 GMT, the storm is situated approximately 280 kilometers south of Kingston, Jamaica's capital. Kingston is expected to start experiencing tropical storm conditions as early as tonight. The storm is also located 635 kilometers southeast of Grand Cayman.

Rafael has sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour, but the intensity is predicted to increase. It is anticipated to become a hurricane by Tuesday, just before it crosses western Cuba. The severity of the cyclone has led to a hurricane warning for the Caribbean Cayman Islands, where it is predicted to make landfall on Tuesday. A tropical storm watch has also been issued for parts of the Florida Keys, located in the southernmost part of the US.

The Miami-based weather center reported that the system is moving north at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour and could potentially shift northwest today. The forecasted path indicates that it will pass near Jamaica tonight. Rafael is expected to cause a storm surge of up to 0.9 meters above the usual sea level in parts of the Cayman Islands and up to about 2.5 meters in areas of Pinar del Río, Cuba. The NHC has also warned of the strong winds and rain that the storm will bring, potentially causing flooding in parts of Jamaica and Cuba.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Patty, which formed on Saturday morning in the eastern end of the Atlantic basin and posed no threats to coastal areas, dissipated on Monday when it was located 945 kilometers from the Azores Islands, as per the NHC.

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began on June 1 and ends on November 30, will have above-average activity. It is expected to see 8 to 13 hurricanes, of which 4 to 7 could be of major category. Since the start of this season, ten hurricanes have formed: Beryl, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Helene, Isaac, Kirk, Lesley, Milton, and Oscar. Of these, Beryl and Milton reached category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.