Tropical Storm Rafael formed on Monday in the Caribbean – the 17th named storm of the busy 2024 Atlantic hurricane season – and is on track to impact the Cayman Islands on Tuesday and parts of western Cuba on Wednesday as a hurricane.

Tropical Storm Rafael has strengthened to near hurricane intensity as it barrels toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba, where it was forecast to hit as a full hurricane.

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Rafael has formed in the Caribbean and will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening to a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba.

A hurricane watch for the Cayman Islands and a tropical storm warning for Jamaica have been issued as a weather system in the Caribbean is expected to strengthen.

Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday after bringing heavy rains and big waves to the Cayman Islands.

Hurricane Beryl is roaring across the Caribbean Sea as a powerful Category 4 storm on a path toward Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

American model Gigi Hadid and a friend are enjoying their vacation in the Cayman Islands after local authorities arrested the pair for marijuana possession.

Jamaica: An additional 3 to 5 inches (75 to 125 mm), isolated maximum storm totals of 15 inches (380 mm). The Cayman Islands into portions of Cuba: 10 to 20 inches (255 to 510 mm), isolated maximum totals of 30 inches (760 mm). This rainfall will lead to catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding, along with landslides in areas of higher terrain of Central America. Significant, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding is possible in the Cayman Islands and Cuba. SURF: Swells generated by Eta are expected to affect portions of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico during the next couple of days.

SAN JUAN – A U.S. college student and her boyfriend have been sentenced to four months in prison in the Cayman Islands for violating strict COVID-19 measures following a recent ruling that will be appealed, their attorney said Thursday. Skylar Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, of the Cayman Islands, have been in prison since Tuesday, when the ruling was issued. After their arrest, a judge ruled the couple had to provide 40 hours of community service and pay a $4,400 fine. Under the original law, a Canadian couple found guilty of violating coronavirus measures were ordered to pay a $1,200 fine each. The Cayman Islands, a territory of nearly 62,000 people, has reported more than 300 coronavirus cases and two deaths.

Location 85 miles SE of Wilmington North Carolina Wind 45 mph Heading ENE at 21 mph Pressure 29.65 Coordinates 76.8W, 33.3NDiscussionAt 400 AM EST (0900 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Eta was located near latitude 33.3 North, longitude 76.8 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east-northeast near 21 mph (33 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue with an increase in forward speed through Saturday. On the forecast track, Eta is expected to gradually pull away from the southeast U.S. Coast today. Eta could intensify a little as an non-tropical cyclone during the next day or so before it becomes absorbed by a larger non-tropical cyclone on Saturday or Saturday night. Tropics Models at 3:34 Friday Night, November 13thLand HazardsSURF: Swells generated by Eta will affect portions of the southeastern United States coast today.

If winds of 40 mph or higher are identified in the circulation, it would become Tropical Storm Zeta (yes, Zeta follows Epsilon in the Greek alphabet.) This tail was one of the ingredients responsible for the very rainy stretch of weather in South Florida early this week. While that plays out, the disturbance – likely as a tropical depression or Tropical Storm Zeta – is forecast to move slowly in the direction of extreme western Cuba, but stay in the Caribbean today and tomorrow. Be ready for fast-developing local flooding if the heavy rain materializes. Whether it will make it to South Florida late next week is an open question.

The broad tropical disturbance that was partially responsible for the extended stretch of wet weather over South Florida is now organizing near the Cayman Islands south of Cuba. A bubble of conducive atmospheric conditions has moved over the system giving it the opportunity to develop a circulation. The moisture, in that scenario, would brush South Florida over the weekend. To what extent the moisture plume will cover South Florida tomorrow and Sunday is an open question. Once we’re past this Caribbean disturbance, the long-range computer forecast models indicate that dry air will push in.

Fishermen pull in a boat before the arrival of Hurricane Delta in Puerto Juarez, Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane Tuesday on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. (AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia)MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm Tuesday while on a course to hammer Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. From Tulum to Cancun, tourism-dependent communities still soaked by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gamma could bear the brunt of Delta. Delta increased in strength 80 mph, more than doubling from a 60 mph storm at 2 pm EDT Monday to 140 mph at 2 pm EDT Tuesday.

Location 90 miles S of Knoxville Tennessee Wind 15 mph Heading E at 15 mph Pressure 29.77 Coordinates 84.1W, 34.5NDiscussionAt 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Delta was located near latitude 34.5 North, longitude 84.1 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east near 15 mph, and this motion is expected to continue tonight and Monday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 15 mph (30 km/h) with higher gusts. Some further weakening is possible tonight as a new surface low develops in the Carolinas, and Delta's surface low is expected to be absorbed by this new low pressure area on Monday. Moderate to major river flooring will continue across the Calcasieu and Mermentau river basins in Louisiana through much of next week

Bruno Vincent/Getty Images(CNN) - About 4 million ($5 million) worth of gold was seized at London's Heathrow Airport by Border Force officers as part of an international investigation into a suspected South American drugs cartel. Border Force agents at Heathrow Airport subsequently moved in to detain the shipment when it arrived in the UK, based on intelligence provided by the NCA. Nick Jariwalla, Border Force Heathrow director, added that removing large amounts of money or gold from the control of criminal networks "hits them where they feel it most, in the pocket." The NCA and Heathrow's Border Force have previously uncovered large hauls in connection to international drugs trafficking from South America. In 2017, a Heathrow security worker was charged with attempting to import cocaine worth up to 480,000 ($600,120) into the UK from South America.