Will Hurricane Rafael impact Dallas-Fort Worth? What the National Weather Service says
The National Hurricane Center is tracking a hurricane that is moving across the Gulf of Mexico this week.
Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba as a Category 3 storm Wednesday. After exiting Cuba, Rafael is now moving across the south-central section of the Gulf of Mexico.
Rafael is tracking to percolate in the Gulf of Mexico and move west towards to southeastern coast of Mexico over the weekend, according to the NHC.
With Rafael moving towards Mexico, will Texas be impacted? Here’s what to know:
Will North Texas be impacted by Hurricane Rafael?
No, said Patricia Sánchez, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Fort Worth office.
Since Rafael is tracking towards Mexico, the NWS doesn’t expect North Texans to feel any impact from the hurricane. For Texas cities down the southeast coastline, there could be some impact.
While Rafael isn’t expected to make landfall in Texas, coastlines could experience rip currents, Sánchez said.
Rip currents are powerful channels of fast-moving water that occur along the Gulf, according to the National Ocean Service. If caught in a rip current, the NOS recommends not panicking and swimming parallel to shore.
