The afternoon of Friday, June 28 was formed in the Atlantic Ocean Tropical depression Beryl, which evolved into a tropical storm in a few hours and could be affecting areas of Cuba with hurricane category by the middle of next week.
According to a report from the National Forecasting Center of the Meteorological Institute (INSMET) of the Island, the atmospheric phenomenon “showed signs of a better organization in its circulation, as well as an increase in the areas of heavy rain in the vicinity of its center.”
Beryl currently has maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hourwith higher gusts, and a minimum central pressure of 1,006 hectopascals, the report indicated.
At 11 p.m. Friday, its central region was located at 9.3 degrees north latitude and 43.6 degrees west longitude, about 1,785 kilometers east-southeast of Barbados. It is moving in a direction close to the west, at a rate of 30 kilometers per hour.
Over the next 12 to 24 hours it should continue moving in a direction close to west-northwest, gaining more organization and intensity, and It could become a hurricane on Sunday before reaching the Lesser Antilles arc.eastern limit of the Caribbean Sea.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami forecast that the system could approach Cuba by July 4.
Forecasters are predicting an “above normal” 2024 hurricane season, with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasting 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes.
If the meteor hits Cuba, it would worsen the conditions experienced by the island’s inhabitants. Areas of the western region, especially Havana, suffered severe flooding last weekwhich highlighted the fragility of the drainage and sewage systems, a situation that worsens the accumulation of waste that remains uncollected for weeks.
This situation also caused numerous landslides in Havana and Matanzas, as well as agricultural losses in Pinar del Río.
