A cyclone brewing in the Caribbean will likely become Tropical Storm Rafael as it travels northwest toward Cuba. The strengthening storm posed no direct threats to Beaufort County and the rest of the East Coast.
But landfall in the central Gulf Coast could bring large amounts of rain to the Hilton Head Island area due to moisture being pushed over Florida and the Southeast U.S., according to the National Hurricane Center . “Heavy rainfall” is expected in these areas beginning midweek.
Rain is most likely to come to Beaufort on Wednesday and Thursday, forecasters say, but the skies should clear up in time for the weekend. Despite a 30% chance of showers the morning of Election Day, the outlook is mostly sunny with temperatures reaching into the high 70s.
With winds around 35 mph and steadily strengthening, Tropical Depression 18 is expected to become a tropical storm on Monday and a hurricane by Wednesday. Models show the storm passing Jamaica on Wednesday, hanging over the Cayman Islands later that day and reaching western Cuba on Wednesday. The storm could make landfall between Louisiana and the western edge of the Florida panhandle early Saturday, but dry air and cooler water temperatures could cause it to weaken as it continues northward.