What was Hurricane Rafael downgraded to a tropical storm as the system still heads west into the Gulf of Mexico and continues to be no threat to land for now, the National Hurricane Center kept

Tropical Storm Rafael is currently churning in the central Gulf of Mexico, but forecasters expect it to weaken over the next few days due to unfavorable conditions. Rafael is experiencing wind shear,

The storm Rafael rapidly weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm late on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Rafael was located about 460 miles (740 km) east of the mouth of the Rio Grande with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kmh),