As of the 4 p.m. Monday National Hurricane Center update, Rafael was moving north at about 9 mph and was expected to turn to the northwest by the end of the night. The storm was expected to be near Jamaica on Monday night, near the Cayman Islands late Tuesday and Cuba on Wednesday.

The system is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Rafael and then Hurricane Rafael over the next few days as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said. However, given significant uncertainties in the long-range forecast track and intensity,