Tropical storm Rafael chugged past western Jamaica on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it headed toward Cuba.
Rafael will arrive weeks after prior hurricane and major power grid failure hit island
The Associated Press
·
Tropical storm Rafael chugged past western Jamaica on Tuesday and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it headed toward Cuba.
The storm was located 170 kilometres east of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands on Tuesday after passing by Jamaica, where little damage was reported. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h and was moving northwest at 24 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The centre said it expected “steady to rapid intensification” over the next 24 hours. The storm was expected to pass over or by the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night and make landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday.
“Rafael is expected to become a hurricane as it passes near the Cayman Islands with further strengthening before it makes landfall in Cuba,” the centre said.
The U.S. State Department issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to non-essential staff and American citizens, and advising others to “reconsider travel to Cuba” because of the storm.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, Cuba’s civil defence authorities called on social media for Cubans to prepare as soon as possible because when the storm makes landfall, “it’s important to stay where you are.” The day before, authorities said they had issued an evacuation order for 37,000 people for eastern Cuba, in the province of Guantanamo, due to bad weather.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the Cayman Islands and the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila, as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and Dry Tortugas.
The warning was lifted in Jamaica after the storm passed by the western coast. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey and Las Tunas.
“The storm is currently situated in an atmospheric and oceanic environment that is quite conducive for strengthening,” the hurricane centre said.
Schools, government offices close in Cayman Islands
In the Cayman Islands, officials closed schools and government offices as they urged residents to prepare. Long lines were reported at grocery stores as the storm approached.
The storm is bad news for Cuba, which is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Oscar, which battered the island last month after making landfall in the eastern part of the country, killing at least six people. The storm also coincided with a large-scale blackout on the island.
Forecasters warned that Rafael would unleash heavy rains across the western Caribbean that could lead to flooding and mudslides, with totals of seven to 15 centimetres and up to 25 centimetres expected locally in Jamaica and parts of Cuba.
