WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
RA IV/HC-36/4.2.(7)
(10.III.2014)
___________________________________________
RA IV HURRICANE COMMITTEE
THIRTY-SIXTH SESSION
ITEM 4.2
CANCUN, QUINTANA ROO; MEXICO
7 TO 10 APRIL 2014
Original: SPANISH
REVIEW OF THE PAST HURRICANE SEASON
Reports of hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical disturbances and related
flooding during 2013
Report from Cuba
(Submitted by Cuba)
HURRICANE SEASON IN CUBA
As far as Cuba was concerned, the 2013 hurricane season was not
characterized by a great deal of activity in the Country.
1.
Cuba had only the effects of heavy, torrential, rainfall in the westernmost
province of Pinar del Rio, related to the tropical wave, the génesis stage of tropical
storm Andrea. Intense rains fell over Pinar del Rio, mainly on June 3 – 4, with rain
accumulations above 200 mm in a 24-hour period.
Fig.1. Andrea produced intense rains over Pinar del Rio, Cuba. GOES, June 6, 2013,
18:40 UTC.
RA IV/HC-36/4.2.(7), p. 2
There were also heavy rains on June 4 – 5 in the province of Artemisa, with
the most significant figure being 291.8 mm, reported in the 24-hour period prior to 8
a.m. June 5th at the Dam station in Bahia Honda.
In Table 1, the most significant accumulated rainfall figures in 24 hours in the
province of Pinar del Rio are shown.
Table 1. Most significant Rainfall accumulated figures for a 24-hour period in
the porvince of Pinar del Rio, associated to tropical storm Andrea in its
pre-storm stage, reported between 8 a.m. during June 4 and 5, 2013.
Day
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Place
Las Martinas
Acueducto Sandino
Embalse Cuyaguateje
Embalse laguna Grande
Torre de TV La Capitana
Telecorreo El Sábalo
Embalse Laguna Grande
Embalse San Juan y
Martínez
San Juan y Martínez
Embalse Bacunagua
Embalse Cuyaguateje
Embalse el Rancho
mm/24 hour
250.0
240.0
222.0
212.0
315.0
309.0
294.2
283.3
250.3
245.5
230.2
229.9
2.
Tropical Storm Chantal began been watched since it was located
East-Southeast of Barbados on July 8th.. The storm track and evolution were
carefully followed and an Early Alert Bulletin was issued due to the proximity of its
forecasted track to extreme Eastern Cuba. Later, Chantal weakened to a tropical
wave by the time of being South of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Warning System in Cuba worked very well. There was frequent
information issue to all citizens through national and provincial radio and TV stations.
It was an ease to inhabitants in the provinces that had been strongly hit by major
hurricane SANDY less than a year ago.
INTENSE RAINS HIT CUBAN CAPITAL DURING THE PERIOD NOVEMBER
29 – 30.
Intense rains are not only produced by tropical systems, such as tropical
storms and hurricanes. In Cuba, located very near the Tropic of Cancer, Winter
systems are also important. This was the case when a stationary front produced
intense rainfall over Cuban Capital, Havana, with a population of over 2 million
inhabitants, a big concentration of people.
An extratropical low was moving over the Northern Gulf of Mexico and
Southeastern United States on November 26th. It brought along a cold front
approaching to Western Cuba. There also was a pre-frontal trough ahead of the
RA IV/HC-36/4.2.(7), p. 3
front. This trough began producing some rains over Western Cuba from the
evening of the 26th. The cold front arrived to Western Cuba on the early morning
hours of November 27th. It moved Eastward and arrived very weak to the province of
Camaguey on November 28th. The front retrograded to Central Cuba on the 29th, with
heavy and intense rainfall over the provinces of Villa Clara, Artemisa, and Havana,
the Capital of the Country. There were two people dead in Havana due to the
collapse of the buildings where they lived.
The front dissipated over Cuba on November 30th. Only a line of low level
convergence was left, but it gave way to new rainfall. Table 2 shows the reports of
heavy rains occurred on November 30th.; that day was the one with greatest
ammount of rainfall reported.
Fig.1. Rainfall accumulation in a 24-hour period in Havana. Dark and Black
areas are places with 200 mm and above rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Table 2. Most significant rainfall accumulations in 24 hours, associated with
the stationary front over Havana on November 30th.
RA IV/HC-36/4.2.(7), p. 4
Lugar
mm/24 horas,
Ac. Centro Habana
283.0
Casa Blanca
228.3
Ac. Palatino
227.3
Emb. Baracoa
220.0
Ac. Santa Fe
227.0
Oficina Rec. Hidráulicos
205.0
Emp. de Aprov. Hidráulico
201.9