MIAMI, United States. – Hurricane Rafael, which continues to gain in organization and intensity, will impact western Cuba this Wednesday, November 6, according to reported the Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) of the Island.
Currently, Rafael is a category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour and a minimum central pressure of 964 hectopascal.
At 9:00 in the morning, the center of the hurricane was estimated at 21.3 degrees North latitude and 81.9 degrees West longitude, a position that places it 75 kilometers southeast of Punta del Este, Isla de La Juventud, and 165 kilometers south-southeast of Cajío beach, Sagebrush. The hurricane maintains a northwesterly course and has slightly increased its speed to 22 kilometers per hour.
“This system will continue with a similar course and speed of movement, transiting during the morning through the seas near the Isla de la Juventud, possibly gaining even more intensity, before entering land in the vicinity of the southern coast of the provinces of Artemisa and Pinar del Río,” INSMET noted in its Tropical Cyclone Warning No. 10.
The meteorological authorities warned about the occurrence of strong and intense rains in western Cuba, with accumulations of between 100 and 200 millimeters, which could be higher in some locations during the next 24 hours.
In addition, there will be strong storm surges on the south-central and western coast, with moderate to strong coastal flooding in the south of the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Artemisa and Pinar del Río, as well as on the Isla de la Juventud. and the Canarreos archipelago.
For its part, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported in your 7:00 am bulletin that Rafael continued to strengthen and that it was expected “to be close to reaching the intensity of a major hurricane upon making landfall in western Cuba.”
The provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and Isla de la Juventud are under Hurricane Warning. Meanwhile, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus and Ciego de Ávila are under Tropical Storm Warning. “Hurricane conditions are expected in western Cuba and the Isle of Youth today,” the NHC warned.
Likewise, the hurricane could raise sea levels between 2.7 and 4 meters above normal on the southern coast of Cuba in the areas under Hurricane Warning, including the Isla de la Juventud. “The combination of storm surge and tide will cause flooding in normally dry areas near the coast,” the NHC said.
The authorities recommend that the population stay informed and follow the instructions of the Civil Defense and the Institute of Meteorology. “Taking into account its proximity to the national territory and the forecast trajectory, the greatest attention must be paid to its future evolution and to the information issued by the Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology,” concludes the INSMET notice.
