Tropical Storm Elsa Crosses Cuba Without Causing Much Havoc

On Monday, Hurricane Elsa crossed the western central region of Cuba without severely affecting people, infrastructure, or agricultural production. Currently, the hurricane is heading towards the United States.

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Elsa lost strength after crossing the Lesser Antilles and skirting the southern coast of Hispaniola. In the first days of her journey through the Caribbean, she left 3 people dead, damaged homes and infrastructure, and brought down trees.

As Elsa passed through Cuba's eastern provinces, strong wind gusts and heavy rains damaged banana crops. However, it lost more strength as it moved over land in the provinces of Matanzas and Mayabeque with winds of 85 km/h, which produced thunderstorms and rains in the provinces of Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Cienfuegos.

Previously, Cuba had decreed the alert phase and evacuated tens of thousands of people. Since midday Monday, authorities in Havana decreed the closure of businesses, the suspension of bank services, the prohibition of vehicle circulation, and the evacuation of people living in places prone to flooding.

In the next few hours, the tropical storm is expected to leave the Cuban maritime territories and cross the Gulf of Mexico towards the United States. Meteorologists predict Elsa could strengthen before approaching Florida, where several places are already under a tropical storm warning.

While the hurricane will move along the west coast of Florida, its winds and rains will also be felt along the southeast coast where Miami-Dade County is located.

During this year, the Atlantic area also felt the passage of tropical storms Ana, Bill, Claudette, and Danny. Meteorologists predict the hurricane season will be above normal but will not break the historic records set in 2020.