ORLANDO, Fla. — Hurricane Rafael was downgraded to a tropical storm as it continued westward in the Gulf of Mexico posing no threat to land for now while the National Hurricane Center kept track of another system with low odds to develop into the next ...

Rafael has weakened to a tropical storm and was expected to dissolve over the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.

Rafael weakened overnight into a tropical storm and continues taking a westerly path. A system near the Bahamas could bring heavy rains to that area.