Tropical Storm Rafael continued on a path towards the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday morning.
Rafael is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Wednesday and could move over western Cuba as a high-end category 1 storm.
After that, Rafael is forecast to move into the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday. From there, disagreement reigns on the future part of the storm.
Models take a stronger storm to the west towards Mexico, while a weaker storm might drift northward. However, all show a weakening system as it encounters cooler waters and strong wind shear in the Gulf.
Due to the unfavorable conditions expected for Rafael, impacts, if any, for the northern Gulf Coast remain unclear at this time.