Hurricane Rafael: NOAA Map Captures Storm Churning Across Cuba

NASA's Earth Observatory has released a satellite image of Hurricane Rafael tearing across Cuba after making landfall on the island, bringing heavy wind and rain.

The false-color image, captured by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensor on the NOAA-21 satellite, shows the storm churning over parts of the west of the island and the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday at about 1:45 a.m. ET on Thursday. At this time, Rafael was classified as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of roughly 105 miles per hour.

The image depicts infrared signals known as brightness temperatures, revealing distinctions between cooler cloud structures (shown in white and purple) and the warmer surface below (shown in yellow and orange).

Rafael made landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Center (NHC). It approached the island from the south, having moved past Jamaica the previous day as a tropical storm.

A false-color image showing Hurricane Rafael crossing Cuba and moving into the Gulf of Mexico. Rafael knocked out power across Cuba, destroyed hundreds of homes and caused damage to infrastructure, the AP reported. NOAA-21/NASA Earth Observatory

As it neared Cuba, Rafael crossed warm waters and encountered light to moderate vertical wind shear—factors that enabled the storm to strengthen into a hurricane.

Wind shear is the difference in wind speed or direction over a short distance, either vertically or horizontally, in the atmosphere. In the context of hurricanes, vertical wind shear—the change in wind speed or direction with altitude—plays a significant role in a storm's development and intensity. Low wind shear helps hurricanes strengthen, while high wind shear inhibits their growth and can weaken them.

Prior to making landfall in Cuba, Rafael's sustained winds peaked at around 115 miles per hour, but the storm weakened slightly upon encountering land. It was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane as it moved across the island and headed northwest.

Rafael knocked out power across Cuba, destroyed hundreds of homes and caused damage to other infrastructure, the Associated Press said. No fatalities were immediately reported.

The hurricane has since passed Cuba and is currently moving westward in the central Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. It is now classified as a Category 3 hurricane again after having strengthened, according to the latest NHC advisory issued at 3 a.m. CT on Friday.

"Rafael is moving toward the west near 9 miles per hour, and a general westward to west-northwestward motion at a slower forward speed is expected through the weekend. On the forecast track, Rafael is expected to move over the central Gulf of Mexico for the next few days," the advisory said.

"Some fluctuations in intensity are possible today. By tonight, a steady weakening trend is forecast and should continue through the weekend."

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles.

According to the NHC, swells generated by Rafael are expected to spread across most of the Gulf of Mexico during the next few days.

"These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the advisory said.

Rafael is the 17th named storm and the 11th hurricane of the 2024 season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. These figures exceed the average seasonal totals of 14 named storms and seven hurricanes.