BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Tropical Storm Rafael has become Hurricane Rafael as of 6:20 p.m. CDT Tuesday. Rafael is a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 mph and is moving to the northwest at 15 mph. Its minimum central pressure is 986 MB. Rafael has already moved past Jamaica and is moving near the Cayman Islands. It will continue on a northwest track through the Caribbean and into the Gulf. It will likely pass over western Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane by tomorrow afternoon. Rafael is expected to enter the southern gulf early Thursday. It will possibly maintain Category 1 hurricane strength in the southern gulf but should weaken as it continues moving farther north in the Gulf of Mexico. Drier air and more wind shear are present so this will help to weaken the storm. It's still too early to say for sure that it will disappear once it reaches this less favorable environment. It's also too early to say it won't make landfall along the Louisiana coast or somewhere else on the Gulf Coast. Once it enters the gulf, we'll be able to see how it interacts with wind shear, drier air and slightly cooler waters. It should weaken quickly before it even gets close to the coast or it may retain a little strength and hang on as a tropical storm before possibly reaching us. Could Tropical Storm Rafael impact Louisiana? It’s expected to become a hurricane. Latest News See who's running for St. Francisville mayor, aldermen seats in West Feliciana Parish Election 2024: Louisiana chooses Donald Trump for president over VP Kamala Harris Harris won't address supporters at campaign victory party Election 2024: Louisiana residents say yes to Amendment 1 on the November ballot Arizona enshrines abortion rights in state constitution: Decision Desk projection on The Hill