Hurricane Oscar Slams Eastern Cuba After Devastating the Bahamas

The U.S. National Hurricane Center announced that Hurricane Oscar made landfall in eastern Cuba after first impacting the southeastern Bahamas. The storm was classified as “tiny,” yet hurricane warnings were issued for both regions on Sunday.

Oscar struck the Cuban province of Guantanamo, near Baracoa, with maximum sustained winds reaching 80 mph (130 kph). The center of the storm was positioned approximately 5 miles (10 kilometers) east-southeast of Baracoa at the time of the report.

Forecasters predict heavy rainfall, estimating between five and ten inches across eastern Cuba until Tuesday. Certain isolated areas could experience up to 15 inches, significantly increasing flooding risks.

Earlier, on Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas, Oscar prompted warnings of a dangerous storm surge likely to cause extensive coastal flooding. Rainfall in this area is expected to range from two to four inches, with isolated regions potentially receiving up to six inches.

The current trajectory of Hurricane Oscar is west-southwest at 7 mph (11 kph), posing additional challenges to already struggling infrastructure in Cuba. The timing of the hurricane’s arrival adds pressure as the island grapples with recovering from a massive power outage that affected millions last week.

Philippe Papin from the National Hurricane Center noted that Oscar’s rapid intensification into a hurricane came as a surprise. “Unfortunately, the system kind of snuck up a little bit on us,” Papin stated, highlighting the challenges faced by meteorologists in tracking rapidly changing storm systems.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Nadine emerged off Mexico’s southern Caribbean coast, though it has since weakened into a tropical depression as it moved inland.