The Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) warned this Wednesday that a frontal trough will impact the western part of the country for at least three consecutive days, with showers and rainfall beginning on Thursday.
According to the organization's post on Facebook, it refers to "the remnants of a dissipating front," an extratropical low over the western Atlantic that will slowly move down the Florida peninsula on Thursday and Friday, positioning itself near the northern coast of Cuba on Saturday.
INSMET was clear in dispelling any confusion: "It's not a cold front, but it could bring rain. Stay tuned for official updates."
Temperatures will not experience a significant drop. The agency specified that "they will remain warm, although slightly lower due to areas of cloudiness and rain."
The warning comes at an especially critical time for Havana and western Cuba, where the drainage infrastructure has severely deteriorated, turning each heavy downpour into an emergency.
This Wednesday, just an hour of rain was enough to flood several streets in Centro Habana. Residents described the scene vividly: "They are rivers, they are flooded rivers", while a tractor was used to transport people between flooded areas in the Santa Ana area.
The structural cause is pointed out time and again by the residents themselves: "When it rains heavily here in Havana, everything gets flooded. Since all the sewers and everything are clogged, the water has no way to drain."
The episode this Wednesday adds to a series of similar events that occurred in September. On the 11th of that month, the José Martí International Airport recorded 71.8 millimeters of rain in just one hour.
Two days later, rainfall exceeding 300 millimeters in 24 hours in some areas of the capital resulted in 26 completely collapsed houses, 122 with partial collapses, and more than 250,000 customers without electricity.
On that occasion, 148 people had to be housed in state facilities, while another 762 evacuated on their own to stay with family or friends.
September is historically one of the rainiest months in Cuba, with average precipitation of 174 millimeters in the western region, according to data from the Cuban News Agency, and it coincides with the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The situation could worsen in the coming days: meteorological sources indicate that starting Saturday, the atmospheric conditions could favor the formation of a low-pressure system with potential cyclonic development, posing a greater risk in low-lying areas, poorly drained regions, and near rivers and canals in western Cuba.
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