Tropical storm Elsa approaches Cuban southern coast

HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 4 (ACN) Tropical storm Elsa continues its move towards the south coast of the Cuban central provinces and clouds associated with it already cover the eastern, central regions and up to Matanzas province.

Feeding bands are generating heavy showers and rains over the eastern half of the country.

In the Cilantro dam, in Pilon, it continued raining and in only four hours 122 millimeters accumulated, also in the last six hours 92 millimeters accumulated in Cabo Cruz, both localities in the province of Granma.

In the southeastern portion sustained winds with tropical storm force have been recorded during the afternoon. The Cabo Cruz weather station reported sustained winds of 80 kilometers per hour, with a maximum gust of 98 kilometers per hour.

At nine o'clock tonight, the center of tropical storm Elsa was estimated at 20.3 degrees north latitude and 78.9 degrees west longitude, a position that places it about 105 kilometers southeast of Casilda, Sancti Spíritus province.

Elsa maintains its northwesterly course, slightly increasing its translation speed up to 22 kilometers per hour, with little change in its intensity. Its maximum sustained winds are 95 kilometers per hour, although its central pressure has decreased to 1005 hectoPascal.

Over the next 12 to 24 hours, Tropical Storm Elsa will continue to track northwest, with similar speed and could gain slightly in organization and intensity before making landfall along a point along the south-central coast. Clouds and rains will continue to affect the eastern half of Cuba and gradually cover the western provinces, being heavy and intense, mainly in mountainous localities.

In the eastern region and up to Ciego de Avila, winds will blow at speeds between 60 and 75 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts reaching tropical storm force of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

Storm surges will persist in the south of Granma, with light to moderate coastal flooding. In the rest of the south central and western coast there will be swells, with light coastal flooding in the Gulf of Guacanayabo, which will begin tonight on the south coast of the central region of Cuba.