A tornado was captured this Thursday in Florida, a municipality in the province of Camagüey, at 6:35 PM, according to reports from the official channel of the Provincial Government of Camagüey on Telegram.
The phenomenon, popularly known in Cuba as "rabo de nube," was recorded in the official weather advisory along with two other similar episodes that occurred on the same day: one in Las Tunas, in the San José neighborhood, at 5:00 PM, and another in southern Ciego de Ávila.
No material damage or casualties associated with the phenomenon were reported in Camagüey.
A waterspout at altitude is a visible vortex or funnel hanging from a cumuliform or cumulonimbus cloud, but it does not reach the ground, so it is not classified as a tornado. The key difference is contact with the surface: if the funnel touches land, it is a tornado; if it touches the sea, it is a waterspout.
Thursday's episode is part of a pattern of atmospheric instability that has impacted the central and eastern regions of Cuba in recent weeks.
On May 7, a waterspout was observed over the waters of Nuevitas, in the northern region of Camagüey, documented by the provincial Meteorological Center with no reported damages.
On April 27, funnel clouds appeared in Ciego de Ávila and Las Tunas on the same day that Florida recorded a waterspout accompanied by winds of 70 km/h, 76 mm of rain in one hour, and hail.
In March 2025, a strong electrical storm in Camagüey caused the formation of another funnel cloud in the same municipality of Florida, which also did not touch down or cause any damage.
These phenomena are common in Cuba during the rainy season, which runs from May to October and accounts for approximately 80% of the country's annual rainfall. These conditions favor the formation of Severe Local Storms capable of producing waterspouts, hail, and intense winds.
The municipality of Florida, located in the interior of the province, has become a frequent site for these types of convective phenomena, indicating a persistently unstable atmosphere in the area as it transitions toward the rainy season of 2026.
Filed under: