Madrid/The Cuban Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) maintains “close surveillance” over Beryl, the new tropical storm that has just formed in the Atlantic Ocean and that this weekend could become the first hurricane of the season. As reported this Friday by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), the depression formed east of Barbados and is gaining intensity as it approaches the Windward Islands, where it will pass between Sunday and Monday.
Both Insmet and the NHC estimate that the cyclone will move west at 30 kilometres per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour. The forecast is that when it hits the island, between Tuesday and Wednesday, it will do so already weakened.
There are currently no coastal emergency advisories in effect, but the NHC notes that the Lesser Antilles should closely monitor the progress of this system.
Cubans, for their part, are watching the phenomenon with concern. The latest rainfall on the island, not even due to a tropical storm, caused around twenty landslides in Havana, and worsened the usual power outages and water supply problems.
/ NHC
In the hurricane season in the Atlantic basin, which began on June 1 and will end on November 30, two tropical storms have formed so far, Alberto and Beryl. This year, the Atlantic will have a well-above-average hurricane season, with the possibility of up to 13 hurricanes, of which up to seven may be major, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). .
The forecast indicates that a total of between 17 and 25 storms could form this year, that is, with maximum sustained winds above 62 kilometers per hour. Insmet estimates about 20 tropical storms and assumes that at least 11 could become hurricanes.
“Last year, Cuban experts predicted a ‘moderate’ season that ultimately exceeded expectations with the formation of 17 tropical storms, including six hurricanes,” the Institute notes.
In 2022, Cuba was hit hard by Hurricane Ian, which left severe damage in the western region of its territory, especially in the province of Pinar del Río, which is still suffering from its after-effects.
The cyclone caused the death of five people and caused extensive damage to more than 100,000 homes, agriculture, electricity, telephone services and drinking water supplies.
The last time a large hurricane affected all of Cuba was in 2017, when Irma advanced parallel to the northern coast of the Island. It caused ten deaths and material losses officially valued at 13,185 million dollars.
