Hurricane Michael batters west Cuba with heavy rains, strong winds
Hurricane Michael has battered the western tip of Cuba with strong winds and heavy rains as it whipped through the Yucatan Channel on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, where it could become a major storm in days, reported Xinhua.
At 3 pm local time Monday, the eye of the hurricane passed over San Antonio Cape, the westernmost point of the Caribbean island, as heavy rains and hurricane-force winds lashed the province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth.
The nation's Civil Defense agency issued a hurricane warning for those two territories and maintained a hurricane watch for the western provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque and the capital Havana.
The storm became a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale on Monday at noon with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h.
According to the island's chief meteorologist, Jose Rubiera, Michael is expected to continue impacting the region Tuesday morning before moving on to the Gulf of Mexico.
