Hurricane Rafael is now a tropical storm with winds at 40 mph.Louisiana is no longer in the forecast cone; however, the state could see rain depending on how close the storm gets. Sign up for our NewslettersRafael is now in the Gulf of Mexico where it will rapidly lose strength in unfavorable conditions.

Rafael was a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday evening Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The tropical storm had sustained wind speeds of 45 miles per hour. Follow our coverage here.

Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall in Cuba Wednesday. After that, Rafael will move into the Gulf of Mexico. While current forecasts show the storm moving toward the northern Gulf Coast,