Severe storms cause havoc in central and eastern areas of Cuba.

The Meteorology Institute reported the occurrence of numerous rains in the territories of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Holguín, and Las Tunas. It also reported the fall of hail.

Current affairs
CiberCuba's editorial team

21/05/2024 - 4:20pm (GMT-5)

Damage to the electrical infrastructure, homes, and state institutions are among the havoc caused this Monday by severe local storms mainly recorded in provinces in central and eastern Cuba.

Through the social network X, the Forecast Center of the Meteorology Institute (Insmet) announced the occurrence in the last 24 hours of storms in the territories of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Holguín, and Las Tunas. It also reported heavy rainfall in the central area and the falling of hailstones.

Among the most affected areas were the communities of Iguará and Venegas, in the municipality of Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, according to the information provided to Escambray newspaper by the secretary of the local party, Mileydi Milián Barnés.

Preliminary data revealed that the meteorological phenomenon caused power grid breakdowns and the collapse of roofs at the Mérida Cheese Factory, the Porcine Unit, cattle farms of the Venegas livestock farm, and houses of the residents.

The recorded precipitation there reached 11.2 millimeters at 6:00 pm on Monday and is associated with the passage through the territory of a trough at mid and high levels of the atmosphere, to which was added the fall of hail and strong winds (86 km/hour), explained Yusmani Mesa, a specialist from the forecasting group of the Provincial Meteorological Center.

Bus stop destroyed in Yaguajay. Photo: Escambray Newspaper.

Likewise, the newspaper Ahora published on Facebook several images of fallen trees in the city of Holguín, where strong gusts of wind occurred.

The strong winds knocked down trees in the city of Holguín. Photo: Facebook/Periódico Ahora.

The Insmet forecasted rain and thunderstorms for this Tuesday, which will be numerous in inland areas and will extend until the early hours of the night, accompanied by strong winds and rough seas.

This type of weather systems test the regime's responsiveness to meteorological events. From June 1st to November 30th, the regime will face an active cyclone season, as the formation of around twenty tropical cyclones is expected across the entire North Atlantic basin, with 11 of them potentially reaching hurricane status.