Hurricane Rafael continues to weaken in the Gulf of Mexico and while the cyclone will not directly strike the U.S., it will bring life-threatening conditions to the Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to dissipate in the Gulf of Mexico before it reaches land but could generate life-threatening rip currents along the Gulf Coast through the weekend, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday.

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday and has now moved on to the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Rafael remained a "powerful compact hurricane" as it slowly churned in the central Gulf of Mexico, U.S. forecasters said Friday.  Where is the storm and what is its path? According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center,

Rafael has weakened into a remnant low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane last week.

National Hurricane Center. Forecasters say it will be a hurricane by the time it enters the southeast Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday night. The Lower and Middle Florida Keys from Key West of the Channel 5 bridge are now under a Tropical Storm Watch.

Florida 's hurricane center has issued an advisory for Rafael, saying the storm is 'likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions' over the next few days. The storm is in the Gulf of Mexico.