Helene, Fifth Hurricane of the Current Season

Havana, Sept 25 (ACN) Tropical storm Helene became the fifth hurricane to develop during the current hurricane season; the storm crossed the Yucatan channel pouring intense rain on western Cuba and on the Mexican state of Quintan Roo.

Blowing 130-km-per-hour winds and higher gusts Helene caused the overflow of rivers in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, leaving some settlements isolated. Reports talked of 5 to 6 meter waves on the westernmost coastal Cuban areas and more than 100-milimiter rainfall in 44 localities.

Helene’s heavy rains have affected several Cuban provinces from the west to the Southcenter of the island, including the Isle of Youth municipality, a small island to the south of western Cuba.

In the Isle of Youth, many citizens were taken from coastal areas to shelters and friends’ places due to the risk of ocean surge particularly to the south of the island.

Gusty winds have reached over 70-km-per hour in some Pinar del Rio localities.

The storm has caused huge flooding in Mexican urban centers like the city of Cancun, where many vehicles remained trapped in rain water accumulated in major throughfares.

The hurricane keeps pouring rain in western Cuba as it follows its course into the Gulf of Mexico, where it is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before making landfall Thursday in the Southern US coast.