Helene in Cuba: Intense rains and winds in the western provinces

The rains and winds associated with Hurricane Helene are affecting the west of Cuba and are expected to intensify in the coming hours, spreading even to the central region, according to the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET).

The highest accumulations from 8 PM yesterday to 5 AM today are reported in: Punta del Este, Isla de la Juventud with 101 millimeters; Paso Real de San Diego (78), Pinar del Río (72), and Isabel Rubio (70), the latter three in the province of Pinar del Río.

According to the Forecast Center of the Meteorological Institute, rain will continue in the western and central regions of Cuba, which may become heavy and intense in some areas, possibly persisting until Thursday.

Regarding the winds, tropical storm-strength winds will be reported in Isla de la Juventud and Pinar del Río, with speeds between 55 and 70 kilometers per hour, which may extend in the morning to the province of Artemisa.

In the westernmost part of Cuba, wind strength will increase starting from the early hours of tomorrow, Wednesday. In the rest of the western provinces, speeds will range between 40 and 55 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts.

There will be swells along the southern coast of the provinces from Pinar del Río to Sancti Spíritus, which will reach strong swells south of Isla de la Juventud and the Canarreos archipelago, as well as on both coasts of the province of Pinar del Río, with coastal flooding ranging from light to moderate along the southwestern shoreline.

It is expected that in the next 12 to 24 hours, the weather phenomenon will continue moving over the western Caribbean Sea, tilting its trajectory to the northwest in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Helene became a category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and continues to gain strength rapidly in the Caribbean Sea as it moves towards the northwest coast of Florida, which is already preparing with school closures and evacuations due to the risk of heavy rain and storm surges.

Helene now has maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h and is moving north-northwest at 17 km/h, which indicates that it has slightly increased its translational speed.

The NHC has warned that Helene will be an unusually large storm, with rain, storm surges, and winds that will affect areas far from its center. States like Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana could experience heavy downpours.

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1.