Hurricane Rafael strengthens, prompts warning for Florida

FOX 13 meteorologists are keeping an eye on Hurricane Rafael, which was a powerful Category 2 storm on the cusp of becoming a major hurricane on Wednesday morning. Meteorologist Nash Rhodes expects Hurricane Rafael to make landfall in Cuba on Wednesday afternoon. He says it will likely bring damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge to the island. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Florida Keys, but otherwise Hurricane Rafael is not expected to impact the Sunshine State. After crossing Cuba, Hurricane Rafael is expected to head north and take a sharp turn to the west as it weakens. Rhodes says it is unclear where it will make landfall. It may approach Mexico as a tropical storm next week or it could turn north and hit the Gulf Coast of the United States. Get your tropical weather forecast each day during hurricane season from the meteorologists at FOX 13 Tampa Bay and MyFoxHurricane.com. We'll issue a new hurricane update each day, and more frequently when needed. Subscribe to FOX 13 News: https://www.youtube.com/FOX13TampaBay?sub_confirmation=1 More tropical weather videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrUTXYgsKmP7jZBJPGWzCmX1Gi9QXg3nb Tropical maps and models: https://www.myfoxhurricane.com/ Watch more FOX 13 News video: https://fox13news.com/ Watch FOX 13 News live: https://fox13news.com/live Download our free SkyTower Radar app: https://www.fox13news.com/apps More FOX 13 weather coverage: https://www.fox13news.com/weather Get our newsletter: https://www.fox13news.com/email