Climatic portrait of Cuba
The dry season, which in many ways is the best time to visit Cuba, runs roughly from November/December to April. Not surprisingly, the dry season is so named because of the low rainfall that is usually recorded during this period. With temperatures ranging from 18 to 26°C, the heat is very bearable, even pleasant at certain times of the day. The coldest months of the Cuban year are considered to be December, January and February. Just take a trip to Cuba at this time to get a feel for the concept of "cold"! According to meteorological statistics, March is the month with the best conditions to visit the island. From April onwards, temperatures rise slowly to 30°C.
The wet season stretches from May to October/September. At this time, temperatures tend to rise, especially in the east of the country, and showers multiply, creating a hot and humid atmosphere that could slightly inconvenience travelers not used to a humid tropical climate. Don't panic, you get used to it quickly! If the rain is present, it generally manifests itself by intense but brief showers. It also happens that impressive thunderstorms break out, accompanied by torrential rains. More rarely, these storms degenerate into full-blown hurricanes, most often during the months of September and October, as in the rest of the region. If you go to Cuba during the rainy season, you should prefer the month of July to avoid the hurricane season.
As for sea temperatures, the Cuban coasts benefit from warm currents carried by the Caribbean Sea. Thus, in the dry season, the water is at 22-25 °C. In the wet season, it is rather around 25-29 °C, and can exceed 30 °C between July and September.
Cyclones
During the rainy season, in Cuba as in the whole of the Antilles, it is not uncommon for the rains to turn into powerful thunderstorms, or even cyclones. How is a cyclone formed? In general, by the appearance of winds in the equatorial belt, not far from the African coast. Drawn by the force of rotation of the earth, these winds reach a zone of low pressure and then take a virulence proportional to their progress. They can reach speeds of more than 250 km/h and a range of 90 to 1,600 km. In what is called the eye of the cyclone, in the center of the depression, it is absolutely calm. Outside the eye, however, rain, waves and tides can take on gigantic proportions at sea. When these cyclones reach inhabited land, they can and have wreaked havoc
Fortunately, these meteorological phenomena are well known to Cubans, especially in the region of Havana, Isla de la Juventud and Pinar del Rio. Thus, meteorological stations equipped with powerful radars permanently watch over the climatic changes, allowing to anticipate possible material and human damages. In the case of the imminent arrival of a cyclone, the security protocol is well oiled. The populations in danger are warned, safety instructions are permanently broadcasted on radio and television. If the situation requires it, massive and rapid evacuation plans are put in place, thus limiting human losses to a minimum. However, it is difficult to protect the infrastructure: when a cyclone hits a city or a village, houses are destroyed, crops are damaged and the electricity network is strongly disrupted
Among the most recent hurricanes, let's mention Gustav, Ike and Paloma which caused 4 victims in 2008. Hurricane Sandy, which hit eastern Cuba in 2012, totally or partially washed away nearly 140,000 homes in Santiago de Cuba and caused 11 human casualties. Matthew hit the east again (mainly in Baracoa) four years later, leaving behind a field of ruins, but with no fatalities. A successful saving of lives due to a particularly well respected protocol. Despite this vigilance and proven evacuation plans, sometimes nature gets so out of control that it is difficult to achieve 0 risk, as Hurricane Irma showed us in 2017.
Irma, the most devastating hurricane for Cuba since 1932
Category 5 hurricane (the highest on the hurricane scale), Irma, after devastating the islands of St. Martin and St. Barts, severely hit Cuba. It is the most powerful super-cyclone that Cuba has experienced since 1932, with gusts reaching 256 km/h! The Cuban capital is the first to have been affected. The neighborhoods of Centro Habana and Vedado, usually protected by the Malecón, were heavily flooded. Waves of 5 to 6 meters high managed to make their way into the old city. The water rushed up to 500 meters inland, causing the fall of some aging buildings, power outages and prohibiting access to drinking water for the population. The avenues were then transformed into real rivers.
However, the provinces of Villa Clara, Camaguey and Ciego de Ávila (Caibarién in particular) were the hardest hit by Irma. The eye of the hurricane having passed in direct proximity of the splendid islands of Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco, it is without any doubt here that the devastations were the most notable. When the time came to take stock, after weeks of hard work, we counted a dozen deaths. A balance sheet that looks like a miracle if we take into account the destructive power of the colossal hurricane. This can certainly be explained by the fact that the populations are regularly trained by the authorities to react quickly to this type of natural disaster. In terms of material, what was destroyed was already rebuilt the following year, and better!
At the end of August 2021, it was Hurricane Ida's turn to make trouble. It caused the evacuation of 10,000 Cubans. No casualties were reported.
