Tropical Storm Elsa enters Cuba through the Zapata Swamp, Matanzas

Tropical storm Elsa It moves along the island's land, after touching ground at a point on the coast of the Ciénaga de Zapata, in the province of Matanzas.

The first cyclonic organism of the Atlantic season, After touching the southern coast of the center and east of the country, it made landfall around two in the afternoon, Cuba time. in the Zapata Swamp, about 55 kilometers west of Playa Girón, reported National Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) in its last part this Monday.

Elsa continues its movement towards the northwest, at 22 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of up to 95 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts and a slight increase in its central pressure of 1007 hectoPascal.

According to Insmet, the Playa Girón weather station reported estimated winds between 80 and 90 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts.

During the morning of this Monday, cloudy weather and rain from Elsa have been impacting the central region, where heavy to intense rainfall has been reported in some locations, especially in the south and in the mountainous area of Escambray.

At three in the afternoon, Cuban time, Elsa was located at 22.3 degrees North latitude and 81.8 degrees West longitude, about 130 kilometers south-southeast of Havana.

In the next 12 to 24 hours tropical storm Elsa will continue heading close to the northwest, with a similar speed of travel.

Insmet predicts that it will advance through the province of Matanzas, being able to pass over the Broa inlet and then over the province of Mayabeque and weaken during that process.

It also warns that cloudy weather and rain will continue to affect the central region of the country and Matanzas, which will continue to be strong and intense in some locations, mainly in mountainous areas.

These precipitations will extend to the rest of the western region with the advance of the system, during the afternoon of this Monday

In the province of Matanzas, the strength of the winds will continue to gradually increase, with speeds between 60 and 75 kilometers per hour sustained, and higher gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

These winds will extend to the provinces of Mayabeque, Havana and Artemisa, with the movement of Elsa over western Cuba.

The swells will continue along the entire southern coast of Cuba, with slight coastal flooding from the southern coast of Matanzas to the Gulf of Ana María, south of Ciego de Ávila.

On the northern western coast there will be strong swells, with light coastal flooding beginning at night, in low areas of that coastline, warns the IMC, which will issue the next tropical cyclone warning at six in the afternoon this Monday.

Given the proximity of Elsa to Cuban soil, the Provincial Defense Council in Matanzas adopted a series of measures to protect human lives and safeguard economic resources, in the complex epidemiological scenario that this territory is going through.

Authorities of the municipality of Ciénaga de Zapata, referred to by the Cuban News Agency, maintained that in that territory more than 1,500 people residing in areas at risk of flooding were evacuated, in 14 state centers intended for the care of this population.

According to experts from the Institute of Meteorology, the formation of 16 tropical cyclones is forecast for the current cyclone season, of which eight could reach hurricane status.