On Tuesday, torrential rains swept across Holguín and other provinces in eastern Cuba, as documented by radar images and social media posts.
Radio Angulo, a provincial broadcaster, welcomed the downpour with a Facebook reel entitled "Welcome the Rain to #Holguín," which showcased a city street drenched by the intense rain, with flooded pavement and nearly zero visibility. The post rapidly garnered over 9,200 views.
Photographer Loidel Gainza also captured the deluge in the city with a series of photos highlighting the wet streets of what he called "The City of Parks," featuring the colonial architecture of Holguín under a completely gray sky.
Meteorological radar images shared by the page "El Tiempo en Freyre, Cuba y Más" illustrated the extent of the rainfall across the east: the most intense areas, marked in red, were concentrated in Bayamo and Santiago de Cuba, while Holguín, Banes, Moa, and Las Tunas experienced moderate to heavy activity.
This event aligns with statistical expectations, as September is one of the wettest months in Holguín, averaging 18 rainy days and nearly 304 mm of monthly precipitation, according to historical data.
The mounting concern is the frequency of extreme weather events the province has encountered in recent months. In June, rains exceeding 80 mm flooded four communities in the municipality of Cacocum—La Rufina, Los Hidalgos, El Algarrobo, and El Canal—affecting 265 homes, according to the Cuban News Agency.
Earlier this year, Moa recorded 95 mm of rain within hours, causing the Cabañas River to swell and prompting a flood warning in the area.
The most severe precedent remains Hurricane Melissa, which in October 2025 left over 7,500 homes damaged in Holguín, necessitating rescues in Cacocum and leaving neighborhoods submerged for days.
A month prior to Melissa, tropical storm Imelda struck eastern Cuba, resulting in over 18,000 evacuations, 17 isolated communities in Santiago de Cuba, and two fatalities, as reported by Swissinfo at the time. However, those rains also had a beneficial effect by raising Holguín's reservoirs by 2.1 million cubic meters, temporarily improving the province's water supply.
Rain instability is not confined to the east. On September 8, a severe storm with hail and lightning caused damage in Molinet, Puerto Padre, in Las Tunas, and days later, torrential rains flooded central Matanzas, confirming a week of severe instability across the island.
The structural deterioration of homes, chronic urban drainage issues, and inadequate infrastructure exacerbate the impact of each rain event in a region that, according to the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET), is experiencing summer precipitation near historical norms but with maximum temperatures above average.
Understanding the Impact of Rain in Eastern Cuba
Why is Holguín particularly affected by heavy rains?
Holguín experiences significant rainfall due to its geographic location and climate, with September being one of the wettest months. The region's infrastructure struggles to cope with the volume of water, exacerbating the impact.
What measures are being taken to address infrastructure issues in Holguín?
Efforts to improve infrastructure in Holguín are ongoing but face challenges due to economic constraints and resource availability. Addressing urban drainage and housing resilience are priorities for mitigating future impacts.