Hurricane Rafael strengthens to powerful Category 3 storm as it heads to Cuba

Rafael has strengthened into a powerful Category 3 hurricane ahead of its expected landfall in western Cuba, where it was forecast to bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods.

The storm, which knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, churned past the Isle of Youth and is expected to make landfall in the coming hours on Wednesday.

Even before the storm touched down, authorities in Cuba said strong winds knocked out power in the country’s electric grid, which suffered a major blackout of several days late last month and sporadic outages since then.

Classes and public transport were suspended on parts of the island as authorities issued an alarm for the incoming weather for the west of the country.

Workers secured buildings and cleaned up rubbish along Havana’s coastline in preparation for floods. Authorities also cancelled flights in certain areas like Havana and Varadero.

Thousands of people in the west of the island were evacuated as a prevention measure.

“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” warned the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

The storm was about 55 miles north-northeast of the Isle of Youth and 55 miles south-southeast of Havana. It had maximum sustained winds of 115mph and was moving north west at 14mph, according to the centre.

Forecasters expect the storm to weaken over Cuba before emerging in the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane.

Cubans have already been struggling with blackouts while recovering from another hurricane two weeks ago that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.

The US 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 due to the potential impact of Tropical Storm Rafael”.

On Tuesday morning, the Cuban Civil Defence called on residents to prepare as soon as possible, because when the storm makes landfall “it’s important to stay where you are”.

A hurricane warning was in effect on Wednesday for a portion of 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 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 storm on Tuesday knocked out power in parts of Jamaica and unleashed flooding and landslides. The Jamaica Public Service, the island’s electricity provider, said in a statement late on Tuesday that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas.

Power outages were reported across the Cayman Islands after a direct hit late on Tuesday, and schools remained closed on Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall is expected to spread north into Florida and nearby areas of the south-east US during the middle to late part of the week. The hurricane centre predicted storm surges in Florida could reach 1ft to 3ft in Dry Tortugas and 1ft to 2ft in the Lower Florida Keys. A few tornadoes were also expected on Wednesday over the Keys and south-western Florida.

Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the 2024 hurricane season is likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.