A severe storm accompanied by hail struck this Saturday in the locality of Perico García, in Los Palacios, in the province of Pinar del Río, causing damage to banana crops in the area.
According to a report from the Meteorological Institute, the event occurred during a day of intense convective activity that affected much of the Cuban territory, with the main core of the storms concentrated precisely over the western part of the country.
At 6:30 PM, weather enthusiast Gustavo Moreno Denis published an update in which he described the system as an “extensive and organized cloud cover in the 'central convective spine' that covers a large part of the west and center of the country, extending towards the east,” with “multiple convective cores indicating storms with very cold tops and strong vertical development.”
According to that weather report from 6:30 PM, the main core over Pinar del Río had shifted slightly eastward, with the heaviest rains and lightning concentrated in Los Palacios, Consolación del Sur, the city of Pinar del Río, and Bahía Honda.
Electric activity also intensified over Havana and Mayabeque, with locally heavy rainfall, while in the central part of the country, "a continuous band of convective clouds extended from Matanzas to Ciego de Ávila," with the most active cores over the southern area of Matanzas and near Santa Clara, in Villa Clara.
Infrared satellite images from NASA taken at 22:10 UTC confirmed the magnitude of the system, showing multiple convective cores with very cold tops over Cuba and the Caribbean, indicative of storms with strong vertical development.
Moreno Denis advised the residents of the west and center to "take extra precautions due to heavy rains, sudden floods, and lightning," and warned the east that "activity may increase by the end of the afternoon."
Bananas are one of the priority crops in Pinar del Río for the food security of the province, with productive areas spread across several municipalities.
The damage recorded this Saturday adds to a series of meteorological impacts that have struck Pinar del Río's agriculture in recent years.
This same summer season had already caused similar devastation in other provinces: a hailstorm hit Camagüey on July 10, toppling trees and causing power outages that affected hospitals, while Varadero experienced a severe local storm on July 9 that ripped off roofs and rendered First Avenue impassable.
Also in July, strong winds destroyed educational facilities and damaged crops in Pilón, in Granma, resulting in direct losses in banana and mango plantations.
Locally severe storms are a recurrent phenomenon in Cuba during the summer months, characterized by heavy rainfall, electrical activity, and occasionally hail.
In March 2025, hail was also reported in Pinar del Río during a day of local storms that affected several provinces in the country.
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