Hurricane Rafael, which made landfall at Playa Majana south of Artemisa as a category 3, now has sustained winds of 175 km/h, placing it in category 2. It is expected to move out to sea between Pinar del Río and Artemisa.
Cuban meteorologist Raydel Ruisánchez reported on Facebook that Hurricane Rafael will continue to move over the province of Artemisa in a northwest direction at a speed of 22 km/h, and it is expected to emerge into the sea between Bahía Honda (Artemisa) and La Mulata (Pinar del Río) between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. this Wednesday.
"Its effects, although diminishing, will continue through the night and early morning," the expert noted.
Additionally, it was reported that the Mariel weather station recorded sustained winds of 130 km/h and a maximum gust of 174 km/h at that time.
In a later post, Ruisánchez explained that "the center of Rafael is moving off the northern coast of Artemisa, near Bahía Honda. Strong winds will continue in the province during the night and early morning, although to a lesser extent," he noted.
In Havana, Hurricane Rafael caused hurricane-force winds that were felt in various areas of the Cuban capital, according to several reports on social media.
This situation was forewarned by the well-known Cuban meteorologist José Rubiera, who, during the midday broadcast of the national news, cautioned about the main dangers of the hurricane.
"There will be heavy, intense rains, and the hurricane is moving northwest towards Pinar del Río," said Dr. Rubiera.
It also warned about the occurrence of hurricane-force winds, storm surges, coastal flooding, and sea level rise, known as upwelling, which will lead to storm tides.
Rubiera noted that a hurricane "is not a point, but a large area." Therefore, as he explained, the rain from the meteorological phenomenon "can extend to central Cuba and beyond with the spiral bands," and the storm surges also cover a wide area.
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