Rafael is forecast to strengthen Tuesday and will likely become a hurricane over the next 24 hours as it batters the western Caribbean on the first leg of an uncertain journey toward the US Gulf Coast.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A tropical storm is forecast by AccuWeather to develop into a hurricane and make landfall in the South this weekend. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Tropical Storm Rafael packed sustained winds of 60 mph and was situated to the southwest of Jamaica, as detailed by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The National Hurricane Center forecast Tropical Storm Rafael to grow into the season’s 11th hurricane on Tuesday as it moved toward Cuba with winds and