Hurricane Oscar warnings for the Bahamas and Cuba after the storm hit Turks and Caicos
Parts of Cuba and the Bahamas started Sunday under hurricane and tropical storm warnings for Hurricane Oscar, a Category 1 storm that spent part of Saturday nicking Turks and Caicos.
Here’s what you need to know from the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. Sunday update.
Where Oscar is and where Oscar is going: Oscar is 55 miles west southwest of Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas and about 80 miles east northeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, moving west northwest at 7 mph.
“A continued west-southwestward motion at a slower forward speed is expected through (Sunday night), followed by a turn toward the northwest and north on Monday and Tuesday,” the hurricane center said. “On the forecast track, the center of Oscar will move away from Great Inagua later (Sunday) morning before making landfall along the northeastern coast of Cuba later Sunday afternoon or evening.
“The system is then expected to move across eastern Cuba (Sunday) night and Monday. Oscar will then accelerate northeastward across the central Bahamas on Tuesday.”
Oscar’s strength and size: Oscar brings Category 1 80 mph maximum sustained winds. It’s a small storm with hurricane force winds extending 10 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds up to 45 miles from the center.
“Weakening is expected after landfall, but Oscar could still be a tropical storm when it moves north of Cuba late Monday and moves across the central Bahamas on Tuesday,” the hurricane center said.
Warnings and watches: There are several.
The north coast of Cuba from Holguin and Punta Maisi in Guantanamo are under hurricane warnings. The North coast of Cuba’s Las Tunas is under a hurricane watch.
The southeastern Bahamas was under a hurricane warning. Now, that area joins Guantanamo’s south coast and Las Tunas’ north coast under tropical storm warnings. Camaguey in Cuba and the Central Bahamas are under tropical storm watches.
Effects of Oscar: Parts of the southeastern Bahamas already are feeling hurricane force winds, which are expected to come with 2 to 6 inches of rain and 2 to 4 feet of storm surge.
Cuba’s expected to get 5 to 15 inches of rain and storm surge that raises water levels 1 to 3 feet along the country’s north shore.
Next advisory: There will be a 5 p.m. full advisory.
What happened in Turks and Caicos?
The government of Turks and Caicos received the all clear as of 8 a.m.Sunday when government of Bahamas discontinued the tropical storm warning for the Turks and Caicos.
Oscar downed some trees in Grand Turks, the capital, where at least one home lost its roof. The island experienced strong winds as Oscar passed the southern tip of Grand Turks.
Oscar’s winds then arrived on the island of South Caicos, where residents reported a strong breeze for two hours. But, the winds didn’t appear to create any major damages to the fishing community.
A local boater who had left Providenciales before 3:15 p.m. finally made it into South Caicos around midnight, the 50-mile journey taking eight hours and 45 minutes instead of the usual one hour, 20 minutes. The boater ran aground on a sand bank, requiring him and his passengers to drag the boat and its cargo for hours on food until they could get to deep water. The lack of a tide and swells indicated the low impact of the hurricane on the area.
In Providenciales, visiting tourists and athletes celebrating the inaugural Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees saw only some drizzling and winds. Nevertheless, the Sports Awards, which were supposed to be an outdoor event at Beaches Resorts, was moved indoor at the last minute as a precaution.
What about Nadine?
Tropical Storm Nadine slowed to Tropical Depression Nadine Sunday morning and is now the remnants of Nadine. moving west northwest at 14 mph across southern Mexico with 30 mph maximum sustained winds.
It’s expected to fully dissipate Sunday afternoon.
This story was originally published October 19, 2024 at 11:49 AM.
