RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Tuesday, May 17, Uruguay is on orange alert due to the approach of a subtropical cyclone to the Atlantic coast that generates rains and strong winds, with gusts of up to 80 to 100 kilometers per hour.
According to the latest report issued by the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (Inumet), a subtropical cyclone approaching the Uruguayan coast is generating “sustained winds from the southwest and south between 60-70 kilometers/hour, with gusts between 80-100 km/h,” a situation that will be “accompanied by showers”.
Since Monday, the winds could already be felt in much of the country’s coastal strip, as shown by the fact that the only fatality so far was recorded yesterday afternoon, when a palm tree fell on a house, and a man was trapped inside.
No further personal injuries have been reported, although the fire departments have made numerous exits to intervene in evacuations and cutting of trees, mainly.
The orange alert is in force for half of the Uruguayan territory, mainly the departments (provinces) of Maldonado and Rocha, located on the Atlantic coast of the country (southeast). However, it also affects the capital, Montevideo.
Precisely, Maldonado and Rocha had already announced on Monday that there would be no classes on Tuesday to avoid possible disasters.
For the central area and southwestern departments of Uruguay, on the Rio de la Plata banks, Inumet establishes a yellow alert with “strong and persistent winds” from the southwest, with speeds between 50 and 60 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 80.
Since Monday, the authorities have made special recommendations to the population due to the proximity of the cyclone.
Among them, the National Fire Department asked not to leave the house except for necessity, close doors and windows, and keep inside objects that the wind could move.
With information from EFE