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.

Once a powerful Category 3 hurricane, Rafael has significantly weakened and downgraded to a tropical depression as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico. See the latest:

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.