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Rico — A new tropical storm was expected to form Monday in the Caribbean and bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening to a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba, forecasters said.
The storm would be named Rafael. Later in the week it also is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Florida and portions of the U.S. Southeast, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Jamaica, and a hurricane watch was in effect for the Cayman Islands and for parts of Cuba including the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm watch was issued for Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, and Las Tunas in Cuba.
« There is increasing confidence of steady strengthening until the system reaches Cuba or the southeastern Gulf of Mexico », the center said.
