Rafael is the 17th name on the 2030 list of Atlantic hurricane names, so it is next scheduled for 2030. It is used that year only if the season reaches the letter R. Since 2012, two storms have been named Rafael; the strongest, in 2024, peaked as a Category 3 hurricane.
No. Rafael is on the 2030 list of Atlantic names, and it is not among the 100 names NHC lists as retired from the Atlantic (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
Rafael is next scheduled for 2030, when the 2030 list is used. The six lists rotate, so each one returns every six years.
A name on the list is used only if the season gets that far. Rafael is name 17 of 21, and 11 of the 46 Atlantic seasons from 1980 to 2025 got that far.
Rafael formed in the Atlantic in November 2024 and peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 954 mb. It made landfall near Artemisa, Cuba. The system was tracked for 7 days.
Hurricane Rafael (2024): track and historyRafael formed in the Atlantic in October 2012 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 966 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 14 days.
Hurricane Rafael (2012): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafael 2024 | Artemisa, Cuba | 2024-11-06 21:15 | 115 mph / 185 km/h |
Names go in alphabetical order, one per storm, as each storm reaches tropical-storm strength (39 mph, 34 knots), so a storm’s place in its season decides its name.
In both 2024 and 2012, Rafael was the 17th name used in the Atlantic season.
The most recent was Hurricane Rafael in 2024, in the Atlantic. It formed on November 3, peaked at 120 mph (195 km/h) and lasted 7 days. It made landfall near Artemisa, Cuba. It was the 17th name used in that Atlantic season. Before that, the name was used in 2012.
Hurricane Rafael in 2024 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 954 mb. It formed in the Atlantic in November and made landfall near Artemisa, Cuba. The weakest of the two, in 2012, peaked at 90 mph (150 km/h).