An NBC Palm Springs Tropical Update: Raphael!

The just-updated data on Tropical Storm Rafael has its maximum sustained winds at 60 mph and moving Northwest at a forward speed of 14 mph. The National Hurricane Center and the latest Global Forecast System updates pretty much have the same future path. Rafael is expected to become a Hurricane by tonight and maintains its Cat-1 status as it continues its Northwest trek across the Cayman Islands and Cuba. As Rafael moves into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, the system is expected to weaken slightly to a Tropical Storm as it ingests dry air and encounters upper-level wind shear. According to these two scenarios, Rafael will make landfall as a Tropical Storm near the Northern Gulf Coast somewhere near Eastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama during the afternoon of Saturday, November 9. Keep in mind a couple of other computer models have widely different routes. Stay tuned! @JerrySteffen @NBCPalmSprings