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.

Hurricane Rafael pulled away from Cuba Thursday morning after slamming into the island as a Category 3 hurricane and taking down its power grid.

The National Hurricane Center said Rafael is now a post-tropical remnant, and that it is currently tracking a system in the Caribbean Sea.

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.

Rafael was a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday evening Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The tropical storm had sustained wind speeds of 45 miles per hour. Follow our coverage here.

Forecasters are continuing to monitor the storm as it dissipates. The NHC said swells generated by Rafael will continue impacting portions of the northern and western Gulf Coast. This is expected to continue through the weekend, the NHC said. These swells are likely to “cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the agency said.

Hurricane Rafael is swirling over the Gulf of Mexico, where it’s expected to break apart after plowing through Cuba, knocking out its power grid and collapsing homes.

Two powerful earthquakes rocked southern Cuba in quick succession on Sunday, US geologists said, just days after the island was struck by a hurricane that knocked out power nationwide.

Tropical Storm Rafael is expected to weaken as the NHC tracks another system in the Caribbean that is expected to move into "unfavorable conditions."