This past Sunday, Hurricane Oscar made landfall in the southeastern Bahamas, posing a significant risk of coastal damage and heavy rainfall as it moves towards Cuba.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Oscar impacted Great Inagua Island and has prompted warnings of a dangerous storm surge, which could lead to severe flooding. On Sunday morning, Oscar was classified as a Category 1 hurricane with projected rainfall in the Bahamas ranging from 2 to 4 inches and localized amounts possibly hitting 6 inches.
Cuba is bracing for even more rain, with forecasts suggesting between 5 and 10 inches, and localized areas potentially seeing up to 15 inches by Tuesday.
This comes at a challenging time for Cuba, which is still grappling with a massive power outage—the worst in two years—triggered by a failure at the major Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas Province. While some areas had electricity restored by Saturday, full recovery remains uncertain.
Frequent power outages have been common in Cuba due to ongoing economic issues, but Oscar’s arrival adds urgency, reminiscent of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian two years ago, which left many without power for days after intense damage to the grid.
Hurricane Oscar formed rapidly on Saturday, catching forecasters off guard. “Unfortunately, the system kind of snuck up a little bit on us,” remarked NHC meteorologist Philippe Papin.
Before hitting the Bahamas, Oscar passed near the Turks and Caicos Islands. Initially deemed “tiny,” NHC quickly upgraded it to hurricane status as warnings were issued for the Bahamas and parts of Cuba.
With maximum sustained winds reaching 80 mph and stronger gusts, Oscar’s center was located about 150 miles east-northeast of Guantanamo, Cuba. The storm was moving west at 12 mph, anticipated to arrive at hurricane strength in Guantanamo or Holguin by Sunday afternoon.
After crossing eastern Cuba on Sunday night and Monday, Oscar is expected to continue northeast over the central Bahamas on Tuesday. Thankfully, forecasters do not anticipate it impacting Florida.
NOAA via AP
As Oscar approaches Cuba, it follows close on the heels of Tropical Storm Nadine, which had earlier formed off the southern Caribbean coast of Mexico. Nadine brought heavy rain and stormy weather to regions like Belize and the Yucatán Peninsula, prompting a tropical storm warning from Belize City to Cancún, including Cozumel.
Despite its initial strength, Nadine weakened into a tropical depression shortly after making landfall.
With the Atlantic hurricane season still active, residents in Oscar’s path are advised to stay prepared and vigilant as the storm continues its track.