Thu Nov 07 04:27:32 UTC 2024: ## Cuba Hit by Second Hurricane in a Month: Rafael Pummels Island, Leaving Damage and Power Outages
**HAVANA** – Less than a month after Hurricane Milton battered the island, Cuba has been struck by another powerful storm, Hurricane Rafael. Rafael made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, packing winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour), and bringing heavy rains to the western province of Artemisa.
The storm, classified as a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, later weakened to a Category 2 as it moved back into the Gulf of Mexico. While its exact destination remains unknown, Rafael is projected to continue moving northwestward, potentially approaching either the United States or Mexico.
The Cuban government has promised immediate assistance to the affected areas, with President Miguel Diaz-Canel reporting “major damage” in Artemisa, Mayabeque, and Havana provinces. He pledged to visit the devastated regions on Thursday morning to assess the situation and begin recovery efforts.
Hurricane Rafael plunged Cuba into a blackout, compounding the ongoing power crisis triggered by a power plant failure on October 18th. This latest storm follows the record-setting intensification of Hurricane Milton, which reached Category 5 earlier this month.
The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November, has seen unprecedented activity in recent months. Rafael marks the fifth major hurricane in the Atlantic this year to reach Category 3 or higher.
First Piper 