The Cuban government announced the suspension of classes starting this Tuesday in all territories of the western part of the country, which are currently in Alert Phase due to the potential impact of Tropical Storm Rafael, projected to strike Cuba as a hurricane.
On social media, the Presidency of Cuba announced late on Monday night the cancellation of academic activities in the provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Havana, Artemisa, Pinar del Río, and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
The National Civil Defense General Staff declared a cyclone alert starting at three in the afternoon this Monday in those six territories, where authorities must take the necessary measures to protect people and material goods.
The provinces from Villa Clara to Camagüey remain in the Informative Phase, declared on Sunday, and their residents should pay attention to the rainfall associated with the tropical system.
In its second advisory regarding the then Tropical Depression Number 18, the DC urged the population of these provinces on Monday to stay informed about the weather phenomenon and to follow the guidance provided by local authorities.
Just two hours after the statement from the Cuban Civil Defense was issued, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States reported that the depression had developed into Tropical Storm Rafael and would strengthen in the coming hours before making landfall in western Cuba on Wednesday as a hurricane.
At 10:00 p.m., the center of tropical storm Rafael was located near latitude 16.3 North and longitude 77.2 West, moving to the north-northwest at a speed of approximately 12 mph (19 km/h), with an anticipated turn to the northwest and a slight increase in speed over the next few days, the NHC indicated in its advisory number 6.
The maximum sustained winds of Rafael remain near 45 mph (75 km/h), with stronger gusts, although a steady to rapid intensification is expected over the next 24 to 36 hours.
The system is expected to become a hurricane on Tuesday night in the northwest Caribbean, near the Cayman Islands, with further strengthening before making landfall in Cuba.
The winds from Tropical Storm Rafael extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km) from the center, and the estimated minimum central pressure, based on data from the U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, is 996 mb (29.42 inches).
This Sunday, Cuba's Minister of Education, Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, announced that due to the changing weather conditions in the country, scholarship students who were away for the weekend would not return to their schools.
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