Hurricane Rafael is approaching Cuba with sustained winds of 185 km/h

The Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba warned on Wednesday that Hurricane Rafael, a category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is approaching Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour, with a tendency to intensify in the coming hours.

At this speed, the phenomenon is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, INSMET specified on its Facebook profile.

The proximity of Rafael has already caused numerous rains, showers, and thunderstorms in the central region, which will extend forcefully to the west, where accumulations of between 100 and 200 millimeters are expected, with possible higher amounts in some localities.

In Cayo Largo del Sur, wind gusts reached up to 135 kilometers per hour, while in Playa Girón, Matanzas, gusts of 77 kilometers per hour were reported.

At noon, Rafael's center was located about 40 kilometers east-northeast of Punta del Este, on the Island of Youth, and 110 kilometers south-southeast of Cajío beach, in Artemisa.

This hurricane is moving northwest at a speed of 22 kilometers per hour,预计 to make landfall in the western part of the island, between Guanimar, Artemisa, and Dayaniguas, Pinar del Río, this afternoon. The system is expected to return to the sea between Puerto Esperanza in Pinar del Río and Bahía Honda in Artemisa tonight.

In the coming hours, sustained winds of between 70 and 85 kilometers per hour are forecasted for the western and central regions of Cuba, with gusts that could exceed 150 kilometers per hour in areas near the center of Rafael, particularly impacting the provinces of Artemisa and Pinar del Río.

Strong swells are expected on the central and western southern coast, with waves reaching up to 7 meters and potential coastal flooding in Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos, and Matanzas, being more intense in Mayabeque, Artemisa, Pinar del Río, the Isle of Youth, and the Canarreos archipelago.

The National Staff of Civil Defense declared a Cyclonic Alarm Phase at 6:00 AM this Wednesday for eight Cuban provinces and the Isle of Youth due to the imminent approach of Hurricane Rafael.

In its information note number 4 -dated at 11 p.m. on November 5- the Civil Defense stated that the decision was made in anticipation of worsening weather conditions, "with rains, showers, and thunderstorms that will become strong and locally intense throughout the western and central regions of the country, with accumulations between 100 and 200 millimeters in 24 hours."