More than 100 hurricanes have crossed Cuba in the last two centuries

One hundred and twenty-one hurricanes crossed Cuba between 1791 and 2023, 84 of which passed through the west of the island, the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) published on its digital social networks.

According to the 2023 Statistical Yearbook of Cuba, cited by INSMET, 56 of all those climatic phenomena passed through the central region of the country and 54 through the East.

The month of more incidences was October, with 44, followed by September with 38, and August with 20, the publication noted.

Of these, five reached the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale for this type of event, that is, they reached or exceeded 250 kilometers per hour.

The 2024 hurricane season was predicted to be one of the most active in recent years, and concluded its six-month cycle of activity with 18 tropical storms, 11 of which became hurricanes.

Among the most significant phenomena was Hurricane Beryl, which reached category 5 this year and its passage through southern Cuba did not produce major damage, but left storm surges and severe storms in eastern towns likw Guamá, Niquero or Manzanillo.

Then came Helene, which according to INSMET, was the most catastrophic tropical hurricane of this cycle and the second deadliest to hit the United States, after Katrina in 2005.

Helen passed between Cabo de San Antonio and the Yucatan Peninsula and caused damage to the power service, agriculture and housing in Pinar del Río, Cuba’s westernmost province.

October 2024 marked a milestone in the history of hurricane seasons: three hurricanes simultaneously active in the Atlantic on October 6: Milton, Kirk and Leslie.

Milton was the second to reach category 5, in mid-October Oscar was formed, with a short life of three days, enough to hit eastern Cuba with category 1. The former hit Cabo de San Antonio with winds and flooding in areas like Surgidero de Batabanó and Mayabeque; and left heavy rains in Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Río and Artemisa.

Meanwhile, Oscar touched down near the city of Baracoa, in Guantanamo, and left degraded along the northern coast, near Gibara, Holguín.

It affected the area with strong winds of about 130 kilometers per hour and heavy rains that produced floods never before reported. An estimated 600 millimeters of rain fell only between Imías and San Antonio del Sur.

The floods killed seven people and caused considerable damage to infrastructure, such as bridges, roads obstructed by fallen trees and overflowing rivers.

Data from the National Assembly in December refer that due to Hurricane Oscar, 65,278 customers were left without electricity, since there was considerable damage to transformers, poles and high voltage lines; and 12,000 homes were affected.

November, the last month of the season, was predicted to be active, and others unexpected events occurred: Hurricanes Patty, Rafael and Sara.

Rafael, a category 3 storm, crossed western Cuba from south to north, just a couple of weeks after the ravages of Oscar.

In its wake, it severely damaged the power grid, leaving 200,000 customers without service in Artemisa, 700,000 in Havana and 100,000 in Mayabeque.

The number of damaged transformers exceeded 600 and more than 2,000 fallen poles, in addition to 1,500 houses that were affected in Mayabeque by its winds, 1,812 damage in Havana and some 1,930 in Artemisa.