Tropical storm Ian will intensify late this Sunday as it moves through the Caribbean Sea to become a major hurricane, a “potential danger” for western Cuba, according to the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet).
Ian, the ninth storm of the current cyclone season in the Atlantic, was located at 12 noon this Sunday (5:00 p.m. in Lisbon) 470 kilometers south of the island of Cayman Grande and 900 kilometers southeast of Cabo San Antonio , the westernmost point of Cuba.
The forecast indicates that in the next 12 to 24 hours, this tropical storm, which now has maximum winds of 85km/h, will begin to lean towards the northwest and gain organization.
The Insmet forecasting center says it is “watching closely” for the evolution and future trajectory of Ian, which could cause strong and intense winds and rain in western Cuba, as well as coastal flooding in the lower areas of the southern coast, starting Monday .
The Civil Defense General Staff decreed the “informative” phase for the entire west and part of central Cuba, the first of the four established by this center in charge of preparing for emergency situations and meteorological events.
The current Atlantic cyclone season (between June 1 and November 30) has been described as “very active”, with up to 17 cyclones expected, nine of which are likely to reach hurricane status.
Insmet predicted, with an 85% probability, that one of these hurricanes could hit Cuba.
The last time a major hurricane hit Cuba was in 2017, when Irma swept the north coast of the island from east to west, leaving 10 dead and material losses officially estimated at 13.185 million dollars.
Source: Observadora
