MIAMI, United States. – The National Civil Defense Staff announced this Sunday the entry into the Information Phase of all Cuban provinces, due to the threat of intense rains and the possible formation of a tropical cyclone that could affect the west of the Island in the coming days. .
Initially, the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma and Las Tunas were declared in the Information Phase due to a trough that “has associated strong nuclei with activity of showers, rains and thunderstorms” near the eastern end of the country, according to the entity.
“This situation, together with the instability generated by the large area of low pressure, located in the south of the Caribbean Sea, will increase cloudiness with showers, rains and electrical storms” in the eastern region, warned the Civil Defense.
The Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) reported that already during the Sunday day the precipitations began, with accumulated between 40 and 60 millimeters in some towns of Guantánamo and Holguín.
Hours later, The Information Phase was extended to the remaining provincesfrom Camagüey to Pinar del Río, including the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, given the threat of tropical depression number 18 of the current cyclonic season.
INSMET highlighted that this system has “sufficient conditions for its development,” due to high sea temperatures and atmospheric humidity, which is why it maintains “close surveillance” of its evolution and possible trajectory.
If it materializes, as the forecast models indicate, it would be the eighteenth cyclone of the current season in the Atlantic and would be named Rafael. Its planned trajectory would first approach the south of the central and eastern regions of Cuba, and then impact the western area.
“Regardless of its evolution and future trajectory, due to its proximity to the national territory, the areas of showers, rains and thunderstorms will increase in the central and western regions of our country,” warned the Civil Defense.
This situation is especially worrying in eastern Cuba, recently affected by the Hurricane Oscar and subsequent rains that have saturated the soils and raised the level of the reservoirs.
Meteorologists had anticipated that the current cyclone season, valid until the end of November, would be “very active”, with the possible formation of 20 tropical storms, of which at least 11 could become hurricanes, given the favorable conditions in the region.
In addition to Oscar, which left eight dead in the eastern region of the country, Cuba has experienced damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton, although their centers did not touch the island and the damage was minor compared to events in previous years.
