Heavy rains and thunderstorms hit western Cuba

According to the Forecast Center of the Meteorology Institute (Insmet), conditions are slightly more favorable for a gradual cyclonic development, so that in the next few hours a tropical depression or tropical storm may develop.

Given the permanence of heavy rainfall, Insmet called to pay attention to the evolution of the hydrometeorological situation, due to the saturation of soils mainly in low and poorly drained areas.

According to the report, from late last night until the first hours of this day, in Playa Girón, in western Matanzas, 68 millimeters (mm) of rain fell, while in the town of Colón the accumulated rainfall reached 47 mm.

Previously, the source reported that during last Thursday, 145 mm of rain fell in Isabel Rubio in Pinar del Río, and 137 mm in the Isle of Youth.

Likewise, at dawn today, gusts of winds above 40 kilometers were reported in the western areas of the country in Havana and Matanzas.

Due to the influence of the system, Insmet added, there will be swells on the south coast of the western and central regions, which will increase to strong swells, with light coastal flooding in low-lying areas of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Mayabeque, the south of the Isle of Youth and the Canarreos archipelago.