Sitting less than 100 miles south of the USA is the island of Cuba, a country with a fascinating and tumultuous history, it has long been one of the world’s most geopolitically important nations.
In recent years, it has begun to open up to more and more tourists who travel to a country currently ruled by Miguel Diaz-Canel and formerly under the power of Raul Castro who succeeded his brother Fidel Castro as President.
However, it isn’t politics but temperature which has put Cuba firmly in the spotlight this month as temperatures have skyrocketed to 40C despite the fact it’s only May.
According to reports, Cuba has reached 40C for only the second town in its history, nearly a month after the milestone was first reached in April.
Diario Libre reported that a temperature of 40.0C was hit in the town of Bolivia, just a few weeks after nearby Jucarito saw 40.1C.
The last time temperatures in the area reached this high was during the Covid-19 pandemic when 39.2C was recorded in Jecarito on April 11, 2020.
The Climate Centre has reported that March 2024 has been the hottest month on record for Cuba as other cities around the island have battled the intense heat. Places such as Veguitas, Indio Hatuey and Granma have been sweltering under temperatures in excess of 39C.
According to the Met Office, the average daily maximum for Cuba in May is meant to be 30.2C with May marking the start of the wet season.
The wet season, says the Met Office, is when temperatures are at their hottest with averages of around 32.1C in August. They said: “This is also the most humid time of year to visit; especially in September with an average humidity of 80%. It also sees the most amount of rainfall, with as much as 141mm falling on average in June.”
A lack of rainfall has been cited as one of the reasons why temperatures have skyrocketed alongside an area of high pressure with a low-humidity airmass.
The trend of much hotter temperatures could be set to continue across the country according to studies conducted by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment.
They predict that the annual average temperature could rise by more than one degree within six years and by over three and a half degrees by the year 2070.
There are also concerns that this steep rise in temperature is being driven by climate change some experts say could be accelerating the rate at which temperatures rise.
