Intensification became rapid while Ian passed over waters with high ocean heat content later that day. It strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane before making its first landfall in western Cuba ...
Residents across much of Cuba - already saddled by economic crisis ... recalling the direct hit from HurricaneIan two years prior. "We are praying that the damage is not so serious." ...
Otherwise, brief land interaction over western Cuba might temporarily disrupt its strengthening — but as HurricaneIan showed in September 2022, major hurricanes can still come about after a ...