Will Tropical Storm Rafael Become A Hurricane And Impact The U.S.?
ForbesNOV 12 2024
As of around 2 pm EST on Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael was a mere 70 miles south of Havana, Cuba, with The Weather Channel (TWC) predicting it to hit western Cuba later in the day.Category 3 Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba's Western province of Artemisa on Wednesday.
This follows Rafael's path through other parts of the Caribbean on Tuesday, leaving flash floods and knocking out electricity in Jamaica, as well as causing power outages and school closures in the Cayman Islands.After Cuba, Rafael is projected to continue westward, with winds gradually slowing down to 100 mph Friday morning, 80 mph Saturday morning, and 60 mph Sunday morning.
Cuba is expected to receive sustained winds of up to 115 mph. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is also predicting rainfall of four to eight inches in western Cuba, with up to 12 inches in higher terrain.While the NHC hasn't said exactly when and how it will hit the US, it has issued a warning of up to three inches of rain and one-to-three-foot storm surges in parts of Florida, with The Weather Channel warning of an increased risk of tornadoes in the Keys and southwestern Florida.
Despite meteorologists warning about intensifying storms for decades, anti-science misinformation continues to spread — from encouraging people to ride out a storm to conspiracies about the government controlling the weather. What people should focus on is this simple truth: Burning fossil fuels leads to global warming, which causes warmer oceans, heavier rain, more powerful winds, and record-breaking storms.
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