The center of Hurricane Ian left the national territory at 9:50 am near Puerto Esperanza, in the municipality of Viñales, Pinar del Río.The eye of Hurricane Ian was estimated at noon at 23.2 degrees North latitude and 83.5 degrees West longitude, about 55 kilometers northeast of Puerto Esperanza (Pinar del Río) and 225 kilometers southwest of Key West, Florida peninsula.

The maximum sustained winds have dropped to 185 kilometers per hour, its minimum central pressure has risen to 963 hectoPascals and it is moving north at 17 kilometers per hour.

Strong coastal flooding is occurring in southern Artemisa and Mayabeque, which will persist into the afternoon and evening. For the next 12 to 24 hours, Ian will remain a hurricane of great intensity passing through the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, gradually moving away from western Cuba.

However, the persistence of strong northwesterly winds associated with the circulation of intense Hurricane Ian will generate strong swells along the entire north coast of the western region, where slight coastal flooding will occur in low-lying areas of this coastline, which may become moderate in some locations on the north coast.

Cloudy, showery and rainy areas will persist in the western and central regions, which can become strong and intense in some locations. During today's morning, the winds have increased in the provinces of Artemisa, Havana and Mayabeque. Strong gusts of wind have been reported in the morning with a value of up to 110 kilometers per hour at the Casablanca station.

Hurricane-force winds have remained in Pinar del Río and reach tropical storm speeds between 70-85 kilometers per hour in the rest of the western region of Cuba, including the Isle of Youth, where they will gradually decrease in the afternoon and evening.

The next tropical cyclone warning for this system will be issued at 6 p.m.