
Rafael weakened Saturday to a tropical storm and was expected to dissolve over the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.
Rafael was located 290 miles (470 km) north-northwest of Progreso, Mexico on Saturday. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 6 mph (9 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.