Insmet predicts strong waves after noon / Photo: EFE
The Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) of Cuba predicts that Hurricane Óscar will make landfall this afternoon-night in the northeastern corner of the island, in the provinces of Guantánamo and Holguín, and the Civil Defense has consequently raised the level of alarm for these regions to Cyclonic Alert.
Oscar’s arrival, currently as category one (out of five) on the Saffir-Simpson scale, takes place just two days after Cuba suffered a total blackout from which it has barely begun to recover in a very incipient and unstable way.
Insmet predicts that in the eastern region of Cuba the weather will begin to deteriorate on Sunday morning, “gradually increasing the areas of showers, rains and thunderstorms, which can be strong and locally intense in some localities and in mountainous areas.” .
It also forecasts “strong swells from midday” and “moderate coastal flooding in low areas of this coastline, including the sea wall of the city of Baracoa.
The Cuban authorities consequently decided to raise the level of alarm for the provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma and Las Tunas from the information phase to a cyclonic alert, as well as keep the province of Camagüey in the information phase.
They also urged the population to stay informed about the evolution of this system through the national media and to comply with the instructions given by local authorities.
Oscar became a category 1 hurricane on Saturday after experiencing accelerated intensification and is already affecting the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas.
It is the 15th tropical storm of the current Atlantic hurricane season, although the US National Hurricane Center has classified it as “small.”
The US and Cuban meteorological services warned months ago that this Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, was going to be especially active.
Havana / EFE
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