Cuba: Tropical storm Laura moves away from western Cuba and enters the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico with better organization and slightly slowing its travel speed, Cubasí reports.
At dawn there were strong winds in the west of the country, especially in Pinar del Río, with gusts that reached 102 kilometers per hour at the San Juan y Martínez meteorological station.
During the day the winds in Pinar del Río will remain in the order of 40 to 55 kilometers per hour, between 20 and 35 kilometers per hour in the rest of the western region, with higher gusts.
Heavy swells will continue on the north west coast, gradually diminishing to swell in the morning. The swells will also continue on the south western coast, mainly in the province of Pinar del Río, decreasing to waves in the afternoon.
During the early morning the feeding bands of the tropical storm have been affecting a large part of the western region of the country, causing heavy rains, with a cumulative of 66 millimeters in nine hours at the La Palma weather station and 38 millimeters in just three hours in San Antonio Cape, both in the province of Pinar del Río.
At six o’clock in the morning the center of tropical storm Laura was estimated at 23.0 degrees North latitude and 85.9 degrees West longitude, in the waters of the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, a position that places it about 155 kilometers to the north- northwest of Cape San Antonio.
The tropical storm has continued moving in a near west-northwest direction, with a translation speed that has decreased to 28 kilometers per hour, and has gained in organization during the early morning. It maintains maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts, and a minimum pressure of 995 hectoPascal.
It is predicted that in the next few hours Laura will continue to gain something more in organization and intensity, and will move with a similar direction and speed of translation, to go deeper into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, moving away from Cuba and with the possibility of becoming a hurricane today Tuesday in the afternoon.
The rains will continue from Pinar del Río to the east of Mayabeque, including the Isla de la Juventud, which will be heavy in some locations during the morning.
The next tropical cyclone advisory over Laura will be issued at six in the afternoon.
