The center of Hurricane Ian, its eye, the geometric figure that represents all its horrifying and destructive power left the Cuban national territory at 9:50 am near Puerto Esperanza, in the municipality of Viñales, Pinar del Río.
According to the Forecast Center of the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) in its latest warning, number 22, this eye was estimated at noon at 23.2 degrees North latitude and 83.5 degrees West longitude, about 55 kilometers northeast of Puerto Esperanza (Pinar del Río) and 225 kilometers southwest of Key West, Florida peninsula.
The maximum sustained winds had dropped to 185 kilometers per hour, its minimum central pressure was up to 963 hectoPascal and it is moving north at 17 kilometers per hour.
At the time of his departure, strong coastal flooding continued to occur in the south of Artemisa and Mayabeque, which will persist into the afternoon and evening. For the next 12 to 24 hours, Ian is forecast to remain a major hurricane in transit through the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
Although by then it will be further and further from the Island, the persistence of strong northwesterly winds associated with the circulation of this intense and precipitous hurricane will generate violent swells along the entire north coast of the western region, where slight coastal flooding will occur in areas low of this coast. They can become moderate in some locations on the north coast.
Cloudy, showery and rainy areas will persist in the Western and Central regions. They can become strong and intense in some locations.
According to Insmet, during the morning of today the winds have increased in the provinces of Artemisa, Havana and Mayabeque. There were reports of strong gusts with a value of up to 110 kilometers per hour at the Casablanca station.
Meanwhile, hurricane-force winds remain in Pinar del Río, where they reach tropical storm speeds between 70-85 kilometers per hour in the rest of the western region of Cuba, including the Isle of Youth. They will gradually decrease in the afternoon and evening.
2:00 p.m. Paso de Ian: floods, affected crops and material destruction desolate the inhabitants of Pinar del Río
From one of the best-known tobacco plantations in Cuba, the Robaina farm, they publish images on Facebook of Ian’s passage and effects. His winds were “apocalyptic”, Hirochi Robaina, grandson of the famous Alejandro Robaina, wrote in his profile.
In urban areas, material damage is also eloquent. The “Abel Santamaría Cuadrado” Hospital, in Pinar del Río, suffered serious structural damage to its facilities, according to reports TV Pinar on their Facebook page.
in Mayabeque
The first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Party in Mayabeque, Yuniasky Crespo, referred to gusts of up to 90 km/h in the territory and severe impacts in Batabanó. Affectations of 73% of the electrical flow, coastal flooding and copious damage to agriculture and homes are reported.
The areas prepared for immediate planting were flooded with water, a situation also caused by the saturation of the soil and the amount of rain during the months of July, August and September.
No deaths have been reported in the province so far. More than 10,000 people were evacuated. More than 9,000 remain in the homes of relatives and friends, and the rest in the 43 shelters set up in the province.
in the Cuban capital
At a meeting of the Provincial Defense Council (CDP) in Havana, it was reported that 75 mm of rain were reported during the passage of Hurricane Ian, and that these values could increase.
Strong winds are being reported in Havana. Gusts of 118 km/h were documented at the Casa Blanca weather station.
“The persistence of strong northwesterly winds associated with the circulation of intense Hurricane Ian will generate strong swells along the entire north coast of the western region, where slight coastal flooding will occur in low-lying areas of this coastline, which may become moderate in some towns on the north coast,” said a note from Insmet.
It is anticipated that its effects could be felt tonight, early Wednesday and Thursday.
A landslide is reported in I between 9 and 11, Vedado, without injuries or deaths.
