Potential Tropical Cyclone 18 is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms. It is forecast to become a tropical storm later today and a hurricane by Wednesday as it nears western Cuba. The official track has it moving into the Gulf of Mexico and tracking towards the Gulf Coast states by the end of the week.

Potential Tropical Cyclone No. 8 has formed in the southwestern Caribbean this afternoon. This system will likely strengthen further and soon become Rafael as it makes its journey to the north. A hurricane is possible as it nears Cuba and sits underneath an upper-level anticyclone,

A tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Sea, now known as Potential Tropical Cyclone 18, is likely to become Tropical Storm Rafael by Monday and is forecast to become a hurricane later this week, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday night.