Cuba
Today's trip around the world takes us to our nation's nearest maritime neighbor, Cuba, which of course lies less than 100 miles south of the Florida Keys. Like many nations in the tropics, Cuba sees a seasonal variation in their thunderstorm activity based on the flow of the ITCZ. This is their rainy season, which also happens to correlate with hurricane season. Ah, the hurricanes. Cuba's position at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico and at the end of the Atlantic Basin path that most hurricanes take when they develop off the coast of Africa means that the island is frequently ravaged by tropical storms. It's actually rare that the residents of Cuba don't get hit by a hurricane at least once a summer. When they aren't fending off hurricanes, the easterly trades of summer make Cuba an active island for thunderstorms, thanks again to it's elongated position, perfectly oriented to intercept those winds, and have the elevation and required moisture to make every afternoon an adventure in thunderstorm dodging, particularly in the middle of the main island.
The Cubans have been scorned by much of the western world because of their dictator Fidel Castro and his communist state, however in an effort to get back in the good graces of the rest of the world and perhaps show his effective leadership (or something) Castro has sunk a lot of money into the sciences, most notably medical training and research. It should be no surprise, then, that the Instituto de Meteorologia appears to be relatively well funded. Most nations don't have their own satellites or models from which to grab data, and the often pull from the United State's ample resources, so given the current frosty relations between our nations, I was curious to see where they got their satellite data from. Sure enough, NASA, The University of Wisconsin and Intellicast, of all things. Under the Pronostico tab, the "para hoy" you will find today's forecast. An interesting feature is that they show the picture of their forecasters which provides a little accountability, I suppose. Speaking of accountability, the entire roster of the Cuban Meteorology Service lists their e-mail address. Usually, I would e-mail the weather service to find out more about them, or at least inform them of the post. That said, I have personal experience forecasting for Cuba so I know I am mostly accurate on the details, and I don't care to get flagged permanently by the FBI, so if you want to know more about the Cubans, by all means, e-mail away.