Just Maybe a Stupid Questions But...

[DAKRA]

My family and I are sitting back monitoring the progress of the Hurricanes (Gustav and Hanna) and had a question that none of us could answer. I know this just may be a stupid question, but we thought we would ask anyway:

How does the Cuban Government get is official information regarding these and similiar storms? - Do they have sofisticated weather stations and staff to predict and track these storms? ----- OR do they rely on information provided to them by U.S. Agencies like NOAA and the NHC?

After doing some research, we found that the U.S. Air Force is the only agency/country in the region who regularly flies Hurricane Hunter Aircraft directly into these storms to gather data relating to the storms.

Just wondering if Cuba and other countries in the Carribean rely soley on data provided by the U.S. Agencies or do they have something else and if so, then what?

Thanks to those who reply with answers versus criticism.

Obviously our hearts and prayers go out to all the Cuban people and for that matter all of those countries who have and will be affected by these dangerous storms.

[mike l]

Originally Posted by DAKRA

My family and I are sitting back monitoring the progress of the Hurricanes (Gustav and Hanna) and had a question that none of us could answer. I know this just may be a stupid question, but we thought we would ask anyway:

How does the Cuban Government get is official information regarding these and similiar storms? - Do they have sofisticated weather stations and staff to predict and track these storms? ----- OR do they rely on information provided to them by U.S. Agencies like NOAA and the NHC?

After doing some research, we found that the U.S. Air Force is the only agency/country in the region who regularly flies Hurricane Hunter Aircraft directly into these storms to gather data relating to the storms.

Just wondering if Cuba and other countries in the Carribean rely soley on data provided by the U.S. Agencies or do they have something else and if so, then what?

Thanks to those who reply with answers versus criticism.

Obviously our hearts and prayers go out to all the Cuban people and for that matter all of those countries who have and will be affected by these dangerous storms.

Chris, The DR1 monitor is an expert in this field and he should respond soon enough.

[sokitoumi]

i believe chris is a lady.......maybe we should start having different coloured names

[Robert]

They have the Internet like 99% of the world

[mike l]

Originally Posted by sokitoumi

i believe chris is a lady.......maybe we should start having different coloured names

That explains allot

[DAKRA]

Originally Posted by Robert

They have the Internet like 99% of the world

No doubt they they along with the rest of the world have access to the internet, but do you really think that is all that they rely on for major weather formations? Nothing on their own?

If the internet is all that they have and use, then I guess you answered my question that they rely and deplend on agencies like NOAA and the NHC for their data, forecasts, warnings, and advisories.

[Bayx-**]

Originally Posted by Robert

They have the Internet like 99% of the world

What did use before there was no Internet?

[DominicanBilly]

Originally Posted by DAKRA

No doubt they they along with the rest of the world have access to the internet, but do you really think that is all that they rely on for major weather formations? Nothing on their own?

If the internet is all that they have and use, then I guess you answered my question that they rely and deplend on agencies like NOAA and the NHC for their data, forecasts, warnings, and advisories.

Why would they need to relay on anything else. I'm sure they need nothing on their own to get the information required to forecast the weather patterns.

Having been there numerous times I'm sure any resources they have as far as satellite and recon information is for the military use any way.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by DAKRA

Nothing on their own?

Of course Cuba has its own meteorological service & some of the best trained meteorologists in the world. They have a met centre in each of the 14 provinces & 68 met stations connected by intranet; some 400 meteorologists of whom 30 have Ph.D's & 80 have Masters' degrees in the subject.

For the last 30 years the professional meteorologists of both US & Cuba have been actively co-operating (some Cuban mets. train in US), unlike in 1900 when Cuban meteorologists tried to warn U.S. weather officials of the danger of a hurricane that was moving into the Gulf of Mexico. Their predictions were dismissed by the Americans and the storm killed at least 8,000 people in Galveston, Texas, according to Erik Larson, author of 'Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History.'

Comments about Cuba's satellite resources being only for military purposes are simply ill informed. Cuba has pumped a lot of money into this including recently after the 2004 hurricanes Charley & Ivan. They have 8 modern radar systems & are one of the more advanced Latin American countries for meteorology development alongside Argentina & Brazil.

INSMET Instituto de Meteorología de la Republica de Cuba website is here:
Instituto de Meteorología, Inicio

Yes they receive US projections, also Canadian & European. For more info:
Medicc Review -

Medicc Review -

FOXNews.com - Cuba and U.S. Cooperate on Forecasting - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

They also have extremely good disaster preparedness programmes as the Oxfam Report noted in the third link above described.

It wasn't a stupid question DAKRA but of course it was one which had the possibility for people to display their blinkered perception.

[Lapurr]

It's an excellent question, i often wonder about that, in my own non expert opinion, i believe they all solely rely on the US.

Thailands tsunami was regiserested by US and monitored by US.

Thanks Lambada for filling us in.