The small town of Bainoa, east of Havana, felt temperatures plunge to just 3 degree Celsius early Monday morning, following gusty winds that buffeted the island's palm fringed shores much of the weekend.
"This is not normal," said Havana resident Barbara Salgado, wearing a black scarf around her neck to ward off the cold. "Temperatures here are always cool but they are never like this, it's almost polar."The extreme weather prompted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to call on citizens to watch out for one another.
The same front brought unusual cold to Florida on Sunday morning, triggering a freeze outlook from the U.S. National Weather Service and the coldest temperatures in a decade across large swaths of the state. Temperatures in Havana and throughout Cuba are expected to moderate gradually and hover at normal levels by week's end, local meteorologists said.Reporting by Reuters TV and Dave Sherwood; Editing by Richard ChangSubscribe to our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.