Severe storms in Texas, Rafael in the Gulf

Rafael enters the Gulf of Mexico. A more westward turn is forecast, which means this hurricane will likely stay as a hurricane. Let's see what's happening today across the nation. For the latest Breakfast Brief please tap on the link here.

Let's start by highlighting the severe weather threat across parts of Texas. Isolated severe storms are possible, with some storms that could develop large hail and gusty winds. The severe storms are courtesy of the next storm system arriving from the west. This is the same system that produced snow showers across New Mexico. Snow will still be possible over New Mexico and southwestern Colorado on Thursday.

Santa Ana winds will continue to be strong over Southern California. Humidity will remain below 15%, and our WindRadar shows gusts could reach as high as 80 mph in some locations. These wind speeds could increase the fire risk and cause widespread power outages. Strong winds will persist through the rest of the week.

Hurricane Rafael briefly became a major category 3 hurricane just before reaching western Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of at least 115 mph. The system entered the Gulf of Mexico and is now making a westward turn. This trajectory will keep Rafael over water and create a favorable environment for it to remain a hurricane, at least through late Friday. On late Saturday, the system will be moving through calmer waters, which will cut off the fuel to Rafael and weaken it drastically. Rafael will also possibly stay further away from the jet stream, which means that there is a chance that this system will stay over the Gulf of Mexico and stall. But it is more likely that it will be very weak if it does.

Astronomical fall goes through December 21. but meteorological winter is around the corner. This is what it means.