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Cuba woke up this Monday to one of the coldest mornings recorded in recent years, with minimum temperatures dropping to 1.4 °C in Indio Hatuey, Matanzas province, according to the Meteorological Institute (INSMET).
In its Meteorological Note No. 1, issued at 10:00 a.m. on February 2, it specified that 28 meteorological stations across the country reported temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, a result of the influence of a migratory high-pressure system accompanied by a very cold and dry air mass of Arctic origin, combined with light winds and clear skies that favored strong nocturnal radiation.
The official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso reported that the weather station in Indio Hatuey, Matanzas, recorded a minimum temperature of 1.4 °C, setting a new historical record for the month of February at that location in the country.
The previous record was established on February 18, 1996, when a temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius was reported, as specified by meteorologist Ailyn Caridad Jústiz Águila.
Among the lowest temperatures recorded are 3.4 °C in Jagüey Grande (Matanzas), 4.4 °C in Aguada de Pasajeros (Cienfuegos), 5.0 °C in Playa Girón (Matanzas), and 5.1 °C in Venezuela (Ciego de Ávila).
In the eastern part of the country, unusual values were also reported, such as 6.8 °C in Jucarito (Granma), 7.6 °C at Frank País Airport in Holguín, and 7.8 °C in Veguitas (Granma).
The INSMET indicated that winter conditions will persist throughout the national territory for the rest of the day, with maximum temperatures ranging between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius, reaching up to 23 degrees in areas of the southeastern region.
Specialists described the event as a "remarkably cold" early morning, characteristic of an Arctic air mass that has impacted much of the Caribbean and the southeastern United States, resulting in an unprecedented drop in temperatures for this winter season.
The meteorologist Raydel Ruisánchez warned that the cold seems relentless and that a new cold front could reach the western part of Cuba on Thursday, February 5, causing a further drop in temperatures and maintaining winter conditions for the rest of the week.
According to the explanation, the forecast models for Havana indicate a slight temperature increase in the middle of the week, although the values will remain cool, followed by another significant drop on Friday, which could extend the period of low temperatures across the country.
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