Rafael is expected to pass near or over the Cayman Islands late Tuesday, with officials closing schools and government offices as they urged residents to prepare. Jamaica also closed down as a precaution, with the storm's outer winds battering the island late Monday.

Rafael is the 17th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and it could become the 11th hurricane. The season lasts until Nov. 30.

Tropical Storm Rafael has formed in the Caribbean. Rafael is forecast to intensify into a hurricane on Tuesday before entering the Gulf of Mexico where conditions will trend less conducive for the system to hold that intensity later this week.