HAVANA.- The Veguitas Meteorological Station, in the eastern Cuban province of Granma, recorded a maximum value of 39.1 °C, 0.3 degrees higher that the highest ever recorded temperature in Cuba.

The Cuban Meteorological Institute explained the record happened due to factors such as low cloud cover. Such a situation allowed the occurrence of strong radiation and weak winds, which led to a very hot afternoon throughout the nation.

The previous record was 38.8 °C, recorded at the Jucarito Meteorological Station on April 17, 1999, also located in the southwestern portion of the eastern region of the Island.

A working group from its Provincial Meteorological Centre confirmed the event on site, together with its own meteorological observers, and subsequently corroborated by scientists from the Climate Centre.

Last June, other maximum temperature records were reported for that period at seven weather stations in the country, and two of them were absolute new ones at Isabel Rubio, Pinar del Río, 36.8 °C; and at Bahía Honda, Artemisa, 36.1 °C, both on the same day.