HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 19 (ACN) The Institute of Meteorology reports in its Tropical Cyclone Warning No. 18 that, in the early morning, Hurricane Grace has been tracking a course close to the west, with a slight decrease in the extent of cloudy and rainy areas near its center of circulation.
Weather radar data and satellite images have it that Grace’s center remains well-defined as its pressure dropped to 986 hPa, which indicates an improvement in organization. Its winds remain at 130 km/h, typical of a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Grace made landfall just minutes ago on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and at six o’clock this morning its position was estimated at 20.1 degrees north latitude and 87.5 degrees west longitude, about 70 kilometers southwest of the island of Cozumel. It keeps moving west at 28 km/h.
In the next 12 to 24 hours, Grace will continue to move inland and getting weaker, but in the afternoon it will reach the Gulf of Mexico, where it is likely to gain intensity again and reach a higher category.
As it tracks away from Cuba, the winds over the west should diminish. However, strong swells will continue in the south of the province of Pinar del Rio, where coastal flooding may occur in low-lying areas.
The next tropical cyclone warning for Grace will be issued on Thursday noon.