425  
WTNT33 KNHC 061755  
TCPAT3  
 
BULLETIN  
HURRICANE RAFAEL INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 12A  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL182024  
100 PM EST WED NOV 06 2024  
 
...RAFAEL BECOMES A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE AS IT NEARS THE  
COAST OF WESTERN CUBA...  
...EXPECTED TO BRING LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, DAMAGING  
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS, AND FLASH FLOODING TO PORTIONS OF WESTERN  
CUBA...  
 
 
SUMMARY OF 100 PM EST...1800 UTC...INFORMATION  
----------------------------------------------  
LOCATION...22.0N 82.3W  
ABOUT 40 MI...65 KM NE OF THE ISLE OF YOUTH  
ABOUT 85 MI...135 KM S OF HAVANA CUBA  
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH...185 KM/H  
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 320 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H  
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...956 MB...28.23 INCHES  
 
 
WATCHES AND WARNINGS  
--------------------  
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:  
 
THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS DISCONTINUED THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING  
FOR THE CUBAN PROVINCES OF CIEGO DE AVILA AND SANCTI SPIRITUS.  
 
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:  
 
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...  
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF PINAR DEL RIO, ARTEMISA, LA HABANA, MAYABEQUE,  
MATANZAS, AND THE ISLE OF YOUTH  
 
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...  
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF VILLA CLARA, AND CIENFUEGOS  
* LOWER AND MIDDLE FLORIDA KEYS FROM KEY WEST TO WEST OF THE  
CHANNEL 5 BRIDGE  
* DRY TORTUGAS  
 
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED  
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREAS.  
 
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA.  
 
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED STATES,  
INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS, PLEASE MONITOR  
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST  
OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE OF THE  
UNITED STATES, PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL  
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.  
 
 
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK  
----------------------  
AT 100 PM EST (1800 UTC), THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RAFAEL WAS LOCATED  
NEAR LATITUDE 22.0 NORTH, LONGITUDE 82.3 WEST. RAFAEL IS MOVING  
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH (22 KM/H). A GENERAL NORTHWESTWARD  
MOTION IS ANTICIPATED OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO, FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL  
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TURN IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. ON THE FORECAST  
TRACK, RAFAEL IS EXPECTED MAKE LANDFALL IN WESTERN CUBA THIS  
AFTERNOON. RAFAEL IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF  
OF MEXICO TONIGHT.  
 
SATELLITE DATA AND PRELIMINARY REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE  
HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATED THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS  
HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 115 MPH (185 KM/H) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME  
ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS LIKELY BEFORE RAFAEL MAKES LANDFALL IN  
CUBA THIS AFTERNOON. RAFAEL IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN OVER CUBA BUT IS  
EXPECTED TO EMERGE INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO AS A  
HURRICANE.  
 
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES (30 KM) FROM  
THE CENTER AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115  
MILES (185 KM). AN AUTOMATED WEATHER STATION AT CAYO LARGO DEL SUR,  
CUBA, REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 58 MPH (93 KM/H) WITH A GUST TO  
83 MPH (134 KM/H) WITHIN THE PAST FEW HOURS.  
 
THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ESTIMATED FROM AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE  
AIRCRAFT DATA IS 956 MB (28.23 INCHES).  
 
 
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND  
----------------------  
KEY MESSAGES FOR HURRICANE RAFAEL CAN BE FOUND IN THE TROPICAL  
CYCLONE DISCUSSION UNDER AWIPS HEADER MIATCDAT3 AND WMO HEADER  
WTNT43 KNHC AND ON THE WEB AT HURRICANES.GOV/TEXT/MIATCDAT3.SHTML  
 
WIND: HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN WESTERN CUBA AND THE  
ISLE OF YOUTH THROUGH THE EVENING. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED IN PARTS OF WEST-CENTRAL CUBA AND THE LOWER AND MIDDLE  
FLORIDA KEYS TODAY AND TONIGHT.  
 
RAINFALL: HEAVY RAINFALL WILL IMPACT AREAS OF THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN  
THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY, PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE CAYMAN ISLANDS INTO  
WESTERN CUBA. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS  
PORTIONS OF WESTERN CUBA, WITH ISOLATED HIGHER TOTALS UP TO 12  
INCHES ANTICIPATED ACROSS AREAS OF HIGHER TERRAIN. THIS WILL LEAD  
TO AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES. ACROSS THE CAYMAN ISLANDS  
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IS EXPECTED.  
 
RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED FOR THE LOWER AND  
MIDDLE FLORIDA KEYS.  
 
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF FORECAST RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH  
HURRICANE RAFAEL, PLEASE SEE THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM  
TOTAL RAINFALL GRAPHIC, AVAILABLE AT  
HTTPS://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICS_AT3.SHTML?RAINQPF  
 
STORM SURGE: STORM SURGE COULD RAISE WATER LEVELS AS MUCH AS 9 TO  
14 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS ALONG  
THE SOUTHERN COAST OF CUBA IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA, INCLUDING  
THE ISLE OF YOUTH.  
 
THE COMBINATION OF A STORM SURGE AND THE TIDE WILL CAUSE NORMALLY  
DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE FLOODED BY RISING WATERS MOVING  
INLAND FROM THE SHORELINE. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING  
HEIGHTS ABOVE GROUND SOMEWHERE IN THE INDICATED AREAS IF THE PEAK  
SURGE OCCURS AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE...  
 
DRY TORTUGAS...1-3 FT  
LOWER FLORIDA KEYS...1-2 FT  
 
TORNADOES: A COUPLE OF TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT OVER  
THE FLORIDA KEYS AND FAR SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA MAINLAND.  
 
SURF: SWELLS GENERATED BY RAFAEL ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE  
WESTERN CARIBBEAN DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO AND WILL ALSO SPREAD  
ACROSS MOST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO FROM EAST TO WEST LATE THIS WEEK  
INTO THE WEEKEND. THESE SWELLS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING  
SURF AND RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS. PLEASE CONSULT PRODUCTS FROM YOUR  
LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.  
 
 
NEXT ADVISORY  
-------------  
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 400 PM EST.  
 
 
FORECASTER BROWN  
 
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