Starting at 3:00 p.m. this Monday, the General Staff of Civil Defense of Cuba decided to initiate the alert phase for the provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar del Río, and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, due to the possibility of being directly affected by Hurricane Rafael.
According to information from the Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET), the low-pressure system in the Caribbean Sea has become better organized and has developed into Tropical Depression 18, located south of Jamaica, moving in a northerly direction at a speed of 15 km/h.
Civil Defense warned that during its movement, it will gain more organization and intensity, and in the coming hours, it is expected to develop into a tropical storm, which may later reach hurricane status.
Due to the wide circulation of this depression, rain, showers, and thunderstorms will begin this afternoon into the evening in the central and western regions.
In the eastern region, rain will persist, which may be heavy and intense in some areas.
The provinces that remain in the informational phase should continue to monitor the behavior of the rainfall associated with this event and take the necessary measures to protect people and resources based on the specific situation.
During its first Tropical Cyclone Advisory, INSMET warned that "the effects of wind and sea in the various regions of the country will depend on the trajectory and intensity that this tropical cyclonic system reaches."
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the U.S. noted that the system is moving north at 15 kilometers per hour and could shift toward the northwest today, passing near Jamaica tonight according to the forecasted path.
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