Rafael picks up speed, loses steam

Hurricane Rafael picked up speed and shifted to the north-northeast as it moved to within 310 miles of Bermuda Wednesday, U.S. forecasters said. Rafael, a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was traveling at 33 mph on a north-northeasterly path, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 5 a.m. EDT advisory. No watches or warnings are in effect. Rafael was expected to take a more northeasterly tack and then shift toward the east-northeast Thursday, forecasters said. Rafael was forecast to weaken and lost some of its tropical characteristics later Wednesday. Forecasters said Rafael was expected to remain a powerful post-tropical cyclone for several days. Hurricane-force winds extended outward from center to 70 miles and tropical storm-force winds extended outward to 275 miles. Swells generated by Rafael were expected to affect Bermuda, the eastern-facing beaches of the Bahamas and portions of the U.S. East Coast during the next few days, forecasters said. the swells may cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.