Hurricane Oscar made landfall Sunday evening on the northern coast of east Cuba with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph. The storm, characterized as “compact but powerful,” formed off the coast of the Bahamas before moving towards Cuba. Oscar was moving west-southwest at 7 mph and is expected to move across eastern Cuba on Sunday night into Monday, then accelerate northeastward across the central Bahamas on Tuesday.
Weakening is expected after landfall, but Oscar could still be a tropical storm when it moves north of Cuba late Monday. Cuba, where the electrical grid has collapsed twice in 24 hours, is bracing for impact with storm warnings and watches. Eastern Cuba is expected to be hit with hurricane conditions and heavy rainfall, with up to 15 inches of rain in some places. The southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos can also expect significant rainfall.
In addition, storm surge of around 1 to 3 feet along Cuba’s north shore, along with “large and destructive waves” near the coast, is expected. Hurricane warnings were in effect for parts of Cuba, while a tropical storm warning was issued for the southeastern Bahamas and the south coast of Guantanamo. Oscar is expected to bring significant rainfall and potential damage to the affected areas.
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