The Institute of Meteorology of Cuba (INSMET) issued its Tropical Cyclone Advisory No. 1 on Wednesday following the formation of the tropical storm Cristóbal in the North Atlantic, the third named system of the 2026 hurricane season.
Although its formation occurs when the Atlantic begins its period of highest cyclonic activity, Cristóbal does not pose a danger to Cuba, and forecasts indicate that it will have a short lifespan.
At 11:00 AM, the center of the storm was located at 36.7 degrees North latitude and 43.0 degrees West longitude, approximately 1,420 kilometers west of the Azores Islands, far from the Caribbean.
Cristóbal was showing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts, and a central pressure of 1,008 hectopascals. It was rapidly moving east at about 41 kilometers per hour.
"In the next 12 to 24 hours, Tropical Storm Cristóbal will have a slower movement toward the east-northeast, with a gradual weakening and the possibility of dissipating tomorrow, Thursday," reported INSMET.
The Cuban organization emphasized that "this system poses no danger to Cuba and is only of interest for navigation."
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) also dismissed threats to land areas. Cristóbal will encounter cooler waters, dry air, and unfavorable atmospheric conditions that will contribute to its weakening.
El Niño is putting a damper on the season
Cristóbal's formation is particularly striking as it occurs during an Atlantic season that has so far shown lower activity than usual.
The influence of El Niño has generated strong wind shear over vast areas of the Atlantic, a condition that can hinder cyclone formation, prevent their strengthening, and even disrupt already developed systems.
Cristóbal is only the third named storm of 2026, after Arthur and Bertha, and none of the three has posed a direct threat to Cuba so far.
However, meteorologists are keeping an eye on another area of the tropical Atlantic with a high probability of cyclonic development in the coming days. If it reaches tropical storm status, it will be named Dolly.
Surveillance becomes important because from mid-August to mid-October, most of the cyclonic activity in the Atlantic typically occurs.
Cristóbal already existed in 2020: why is the name being repeated?
The name Cristóbal may sound familiar. In June 2020, another tropical storm bore the exact same name. That system developed in the Bay of Campeche, affected southeastern Mexico, and then moved through the Gulf of Mexico toward the United States. Official records from the NHC confirm that it reached maximum winds of around 95 km/h.
That the name is used again six years later is not a mistake. The lists of tropical cyclone names in the Atlantic are reused every six years, unless a hurricane is so destructive or deadly that the World Meteorological Organization decides to retire its name. Cristóbal was not retired after 2020, and therefore, it returned to the list for 2026.
Cuba maintains its vigilance throughout August
The 2026 season continues to be below the usual levels of activity. Arthur formed in June and Bertha in July, while Cristóbal appeared after the typical climatic date by which the first hurricane of a normal season usually forms.
The forecast from INSMET published in May estimated the formation of 11 tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin and calculated a 75% probability that at least one tropical storm will affect Cuba, while placing the likelihood of a hurricane impact at 40%.
For now, Cristóbal can be dismissed as a threat to the island. However, with the start of the historically most active period of the season and other systems being monitored in the Atlantic, meteorologists' attention is already shifting to what may develop behind this storm.
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