Hurricane Rafael turns west after battering Cuba and knocking out power grid
Hurricane Rafael has turned to the west after lashing Cuba, where it knocked out the country’s electrical grid, leaving its 10 million residents in the dark.
Hurricane Rafael has turned to the west after lashing Cuba, where it knocked out the country’s electrical grid, leaving its 10 million residents in the dark.
Rafael had strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane before it made landfall in the Cuban province of Artemisa, and weakened to a Category 2 shortly after making landfall Wednesday afternoon.
The storm is now about 195 miles west of Key West, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, moving northwest at 9 mph, the National Hurricane Center said at 7 a.m. ET.
Rafael will continue to move away from western Cuba on Thursday and will weaken over the central Gulf of Mexico.
“On the forecast track, Rafael is expected to move over the southern Gulf of Mexico for the next few days,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Rating: 5