This Wednesday, the first cold front of the winter season will arrive in Cuba, bringing a drop in temperatures along with showers and rain in the western part of the country.
The phenomenon is moving towards the island through the Gulf of Mexico, and "it is preceded by a prefrontal band with strong activity of showers, rain, and thunderstorms, which will begin to affect western Cuba starting late morning and into the afternoon," reported meteorologist Raydel Ruisánchez on social media.
The specialist noted that, specifically, the rains and storms can be intense, particularly in areas along the northern coast. This phenomenon is accompanied by a drop in temperatures, resulting in cool days and chilly mornings.
The Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) stated in its latest bulletin that the western region of the country will be under the influence of showers and some thunderstorms in the afternoon of November 20.
The morning will begin with mostly clear skies, although a gradual increase in cloud cover is expected from noon onwards, particularly in Pinar del Río and Artemisa, where precipitation will be more intense.
Those conditions will gradually be extended to the rest of the western region.
In the central and eastern regions, the day will start off partly cloudy, with more overcast skies along the northern coast, where isolated showers may occur in the morning.
Throughout the rest of the day, there will be little cloud cover over much of the territory, increasing slightly after noon.
Maximum temperatures will range between 28 and 31 degrees Celsius, with higher values in some areas of the southeastern region.
At night, temperatures will drop to between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius.
Winds will be variable and light across most of the country.
In the west, winds will begin to blow from the south to southwest in the afternoon, reaching speeds of 10 to 25 km/h, and will shift to the northwest along the northern coast during the night.
The sea will remain calm along the central northern coast, while in the rest of the coastal areas there will be little wave activity, decreasing to calm seas in the eastern region by the afternoon.
INSMET advises caution in the western region, especially in areas with a higher likelihood of thunderstorms.
The cold front affecting Cuba will also be felt in South Florida, where rain and a drop in temperatures are also expected.
Meteorologist Elier Pila Fariñas reminded in an article published in Cubadebate that "the 'cold' is not brought (or caused) by the fronts, but by the mass of air that follows them." He emphasized that the arrival of the front might suggest that the hurricane season is declining, although the official end is not until November 30.
How will this winter be?
The aforementioned meteorologist predicted that the Climate Center of the Meteorological Institute, in its forecasts issued for the year's dry spell, indicates "a rainfall pattern close to normal."
The rainfall during this period—the semester from November to April—accounts for nearly a quarter of the total accumulated throughout the year, mainly associated with cold fronts over or near Cuba.
In terms of temperatures, it is expected that maximum values will behave normally for this period, although from February to April they will be closer to the upper limit of the climatic range.
For the minimum values, the behavior is the opposite: "although in both quarters they will be within the normal range, in the first they will be closer to the upper values of the same."
"As always, we remind you that weather forecasts are stated in relation to the usual behavior for the period in question, which does not mean that, as usually happens (and many long for), very cold days cannot be recorded," he concluded.
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