Tropical storm Imelda forms near the Bahamas

HAVANA, Cuba, September 29 (ACN) Cuban Institute of Meteorology reported that Tropical Depression 9 strengthened and intensified Sunday morning, becoming Tropical Storm Imelda this afternoon, the ninth tropical storm of the current hurricane season.

This system produced heavy showers, rain, and thunderstorms in eastern Cuba, mainly over the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo, where rainfall has been heavy and intense, with significant accumulations exceeding 100 millimeters in several locations.

The center of Imelda was located at 2:00 PM at 23.9 degrees North latitude and 77.3 degrees West longitude, approximately 155 kilometers west-northwest of the central Bahamas.

Maximum sustained winds increased to 65 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts, and the central pressure decreased to 998 hectopascals. It is currently moving northward at 11 kilometers per hour.

During the next 24 hours, this system will maintain a similar trajectory, increasing its forward speed as it continues to organize and intensify, potentially becoming a hurricane in the coming days.

Regardless of its future development and trajectory, this system will continue to generate instability in our area over the next 24 hours.

Combined with high relative humidity, local factors, and the orography of eastern Cuba, this will favor the occurrence of numerous showers, rain, and thunderstorms in the central and eastern regions of the country.

These rains may become heavy and intense in some areas, particularly in mountainous regions.