Related videos:
The weather station in La Palma, in the province of Pinar del Río, recorded a maximum temperature of 37.6 °C on Saturday, setting a triple historical record that surpasses figures that have stood for decades.
The information was confirmed by Humberto Raúl Acosta González, a meteorology specialist in the Forecast Department in Pinar del Río, affiliated with the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET).
The measurement was recorded at 6:48 p.m. (daylight saving time) on June 13 and simultaneously represents a new record for the month of June at the La Palma station, the all-time record for that same station, and the provincial record for Pinar del Río for any June.
The previous provincial record for June belonged to the coastal station of Cabo de San Antonio, with 37.5 °C recorded on June 29, 1958, a mark that remained unchallenged for 68 years.
The new temperature exceeds that historical record by just one-tenth of a degree, which is particularly notable because it comes from an inland station rather than a coastal one, and because it occurs in the first half of June, when historically the most extreme heat tends to be concentrated in July and August.
Within the La Palma station itself, the previous record for June was 36.6 °C, recorded on June 2, 2004, while the historical absolute record for the site was 37.1 °C, measured on April 14, 2020.
The new value of 37.6 °C exceeds both benchmarks at the same time.
This event is part of a growing trend of extreme heat in Cuba, which INSMET had predicted months ago when forecasting an extremely hot summer in 2026, with maximum temperatures above the historical average.
In May 2026, the intense heat raised public alarm, although a Cuban meteorologist clarified that the technical criteria to officially declare a heatwave were not met, which requires at least 20% of the stations recording 37 °C or higher for five consecutive days.
Cuba has experienced a record increase in temperatures in recent years: in April 2024, the locality of Jucarito, in the province of Granma, reached 40.1 °C, the first recorded temperature above 40 °C in the instrumental history of the country.
The year 2023 was the hottest recorded in Cuba, with temperatures 1.38 °C above the historical average.
For this Monday, the Weather Forecast Center of INSMET predicts maximum temperatures ranging from 31 to 34 °C across the country, higher in interior areas, with isolated showers and thunderstorms in the west and east, and nighttime minimums between 22 and 25 °C.
Filed under: