Havana, April 13 (RHC)--For the second consecutive year, the absolute national record for the highest temperature in Cuba has been broken, with a value of 39.3 degrees Celsius (102.74 Fahrenheit)  recorded Saturday afternoon at the Veguitas weather station in Granma province.

The previous record was 39.1(102.38 F) and was reported in that same locality on June 30, 2019.

In remarks to Granma newspaper,  Miriam Teresita Llanes, head of the Forecasting Center of the Institute of Meteorology, said that a total of 25 stations had highs equal to or higher than 35 degrees, with another three specific absolute records being set at Jucarito (Granma) with 39.2; Indio Hatuey (Matanzas), 38.3, and at Jovellanos (Matanzas), 38.0 degrees.

Llanes said that such a notable increase in temperatures was due to the marked influence of high pressure on the Cuban archipelago, which favors the intense solar radiation that directly affects the surface, as conditions of low cloudiness, weak variable winds and lack of precipitation predominate.

This is not the first time that the month of April behaves so warm in Cuba. On April 17, 1999, the town of Jucarito had an absolute maximum of 38.8 degrees Celsius, which was the national heat record for 20 years, until the already mentioned 39.1 of Veguitas, in June last year and the most recent 39.3.