Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Pinar del Rio

Hurricane Ian, category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, made landfall in Cuba today shortly after 03:00 local time, by Coloma in the province of Pinar del Rio, in the western part of the country.

According to the Meteorological Institute's Forecast Center, the wall of the meteor's eye is already over the southern coast of that territory.

Meanwhile, a national television report reported that in that province there was great damage to the electric service, strong winds and intense rainfall, and some houses already had damage to their roofs.

In the early hours of the morning, weather stations recorded wind gusts of 111 kilometers per hour in Punta del Este, a special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, and another of 108 kilometers per hour in the provincial capital of Pinar del Río.

Tropical storm force winds, with speeds between 70 and 80 kilometers per hour with higher gusts, are perceptible in Isla de la Juventud, Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana.

Coastal flooding was heavy in southern Cuba, and was already beginning to be felt in the western north.

Ian continued to strengthen overnight and became a major hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h (185 mph).