Cuba suffers hottest summer on record

HAVANA, July 1 (Xinhua) — Hot summer temperatures in Cuba broke all-time records on Sunday, reaching 39.1 degrees Celsius (102.38 Fahrenheit) in the town of Veguitas in the eastern province of Granma, the Cuban Meteorology Institute said Monday.

The record-breaking temperature was registered at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, said Armando Caymares, a specialist of the National Forecast Center, in a statement to the news website Cubadebate.

Climate Center’s scientists analyzed the climate data and verified the temperature.

Caymares explained that the scarce cloud cover, weak winds, and a high-pressure system in the low and middle levels of the troposphere altogether led to the high temperatures in that area of Cuba.

Previously, the highest heat record in the country was 38.8 degrees (101.84 Fahrenheit), reported on April 17, 1999, in the town of Jucarito, also in Granma, some 747 km east of Havana.

(From Xinhua)