In South Florida, the Keys will be affected by Hurricane Rafael in isolated cases

MIAMI – We’re in for a windy day over South Florida as Hurricane Rafael approaches from the south.

While the worst of Rafael will remain well west of the lower part of the state, lower magnitude peripheral impacts will still occur in South Florida, particularly the Keys, as of Wednesday afternoon. They will persist into the evening and early Thursday morning.

By late Wednesday, Rafael’s outer bands will move into portions of the lower and middle Keys, where a tropical storm warning remains in effect.

These bands will continue to tour the Keys from Wednesday evening through early Thursday morning. Within these bands we need to watch for tropical downpours, gusty to damaging winds and the risk of isolated tornadoes. In fact, there is a level 2 out of 5 severe weather risk in the lower Keys.

The improvements will begin Thursday afternoon when Rafael leaves South Florida. The wind will weaken and the rain will ease, making it drier on Friday and Saturday.