Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico moving farther away from Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 28 (ACN) The Cuban Institute of Meteorology in its Tropical Cyclone No. 12 warning issued at six o'clock this morning about Hurricane Ida reports that the hydrometeorological phenomenon is entering the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and moving further away from Cuba.

Hurricane Ida continued moving northwest at 26 kilometers per hour, entering the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and moving further away from the northern coast of Pinar del Rio.

Ida has maintained maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts, with a central pressure that has dropped to 987 hectoPascal.

At six o'clock this morning, its center was estimated at 24.2 degrees north latitude and 85.4 degrees west longitude, a position that places it about 250 kilometers north of Cabo de Sn Antonio, Pinar del Río.

Feeder bands with showers and rains have continued to affect the western region of Cuba during the early morning, but have decreased in coverage and intensity.

In the coming hours, precipitation will continue to influence the west, with some showers and rains that will be more numerous in Pinar del Río and Artemisa during the afternoon.

Hurricane Ida is forecast to continue on a similar course with little change in its speed, gradually gaining in intensity as it moves deeper into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the next 12 to 24 hours, with the possibility of becoming a major hurricane tomorrow, Sunday.

Swells will continue to gradually diminish on the southwest coast, while strong swells and storm surges remain on the north coast of Pinar del Rio and swells north of Artemisa province, which will diminish during the early morning.