The intense heat of the last few days in Cuba could well set a temperature record. However, no station in the country has reported values that exceed the historical ones, as the meteorologist Elier Pila pointed out in an article.
The forecasts pointed to rates within what is typical for June, a humid and hot month, with almost a fifth of the maximum temperature records reported in Cuba. The one for 2023 has not gone beyond that.
Hoy tendremos un día de mucho calor y aisladas lluvias.#CiegodeAvila #Cuba #ElTiempoenCuba @CITMACuba @CITMACiego pic.twitter.com/swW5xRaIQ4
— Centro Meteorológico Provincial, Ciego de Ávila (@INSMET_CMP_CAV) June 21, 2023
In Central America and the Caribbean, the thermometers marked maximum levels. In Mexico, for example, at the end of last week, it exceeded 40°C in cities located in the southeast of that country.
Experts even considered that Cuba could be under the influence of the phenomenon known as “heat dome,” causing temperatures to soar in different areas.
However, the feeling that we are melting is due to “the abundant prevailing humidity, the decrease in cloudiness and, therefore, of rain,” warns Pila in his analysis published by Cubadebate.
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The specialist explains that the rain “has allowed a greater amount of incident solar radiation (and for a longer time) which has favored high values of temperature and sensation of heat throughout the day and night.”
According to the meteorologist, the heat sensation harbors effects that can be adverse and even dangerous, which in turn increase the effect of very high or low temperatures.
These include variables such as relative humidity, especially in hot weather conditions, which influences sweating as a cooling mechanism for the human body.
In most cases, he explained, these indicators are expressed as if they were temperatures, so that they can be communicated in a more intuitive way.
Hace calor en #LaHabana…. 30 grados a las 8 de la noche… pic.twitter.com/stcmJF8Zj3
— Elier Pila Fariñas (@elierpf) June 16, 2023
“With high humidity values, our body, which sweats to lower the temperature, is unable to cool down since the sweat does not evaporate, due to the humidity in the environment,” the specialist said.
So, “the body does not lower its temperature and does not stop sweating, creating a risk of dehydration,” Pila added. “If the humidity is low, sweating helps regulate the temperature, but if the heat is intense, the process continues and constant hydration is also necessary.”
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OnCuba Staff
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