Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Clouds and possible showers remain in the Cancun, Riviera Maya forecast Thursday due to Hurricane Rafael. While the storm has passed over Cuba, it has since taken a sharp left turn where later today, it will position itself over the Yucatan Peninsula.
As the storm travels, its outer bands are forecast to produce wind and rain that will be felt locally as it passes the tip of the Peninsula. According to State Civil Protection, the cloud bands of category 2 Hurricane Rafael will continue to affect the region.
“The cloud bands of Hurricane Rafael, Category 2, will bring humidity and the probability of rain over the Yucatan Peninsula and mainly over the northern part of the state of Quintana Roo. The bands will cause partly cloudy to cloudy skies, intervals of showers with heavy rain accompanied by electrical activity,” they said Thursday morning.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Rafael made landfall on Cuba as a category 3 hurricane. The storm hit the western portion of the island with 185 km/h winds Wednesday evening.
Cuba’s state-owned Unión Eléctrica reported a total “disconnection” of its electrical system with the arrival of Rafael. Rafael caused storm surges and major damage across the island.
“Strong winds caused by the intense hurricane Rafael caused the disconnection of the national electrical system,” Unión Eléctrica posted on X.
After a trajectory update Thursday morning by the National Hurricane Centre (NOAA), Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) reported that the extensive circulation of Hurricane Rafael will produce rain and showers in Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
On Wednesday, Quintana Roo Civil Protection issued a Blue Alert from Cancun to Puerto Morelos due to the rapid intensification of Hurricane Rafael to a category 3 storm. There are officially three weeks left in the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
