Specialized forces from Havana's Áreas Verdes, Eléctrica, and Aurora Plaza provincial companies are working to clean up streets and reestablish power service after several breakdowns caused by a severe local storm on the afternoon of Wednesday 16.

According to a note issued by the Forecasting Center of the Institute of Meteorology (Insmet), after 2:00 p.m. a line of thunderstorms developed rapidly that crossed over the province of Mayabeque and Havana, and produced strong thunderstorms that became severe in some points.

"This system was characterized by intense rain in a short period of time and strong linear winds from the southern region for a brief period of time.

Around 3:30 in the afternoon a severe local storm was recorded whose sustained winds were 90 kilometers per hour, with a maximum gust of 125, as reported by the Casablanca weather station.

According to a press release from that institution, a total rainfall of 24.8 millimeters was recorded. There were also strong electrical discharges as the line of storms passed through.

Insmet also reported that there were also strong electrical discharges along the line of thunderstorms. In the capital, some trees were reported to have fallen in Vedado, as well as power outages in some municipalities.

According to the Forecast Center, this line of thunderstorms was related to strong atmospheric instability associated with the presence of a trough in the low and middle levels of the troposphere over the Gulf of Mexico, which in the afternoon combined with the strong heating of the day and abundant humidity in the lower levels of the atmosphere.

In a tour of the affected areas, an ACN team was able to verify the work undertaken with cranes and heavy equipment that removed fallen trees on wires and cars while several deliveries were without electricity.

Material damage was still being quantified at the time of going to press.

Severe local storms develop very quickly, almost always in the afternoon, and can cause considerable material damage and claim human lives.

A study by experts from the Institute of Meteorology found that in the period from 1987 to 2002, severe local storms show a clear seasonal variation with a maximum in the months of May to July, although the most severe storms report the most severe events.

Said research indicates that in the last decade there has been a trend towards an increase in these phenomena and a possible relationship with the presence of the La Niña phenomenon.

Source: ACN and Cubadebate