The storm was heading northwest at 15 mph and was “expected to move near or over the Cayman Islands tonight, be near or over western Cuba on Wednesday, and move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday night,” the hurricane center said.

Rafael intensified into a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday evening in the Caribbean near the Cayman Islands as it headed for the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center designated Rafael the 11th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season at 7:20 p.

Hurricane Rafael will eventually make it into the Gulf of Mexico, but the atmosphere will be hostile for a tropical system.