Tropical Storm Oscar, which hit hurricane strength over the weekend, is currently battering Cuba and may bring enough rain to trigger "life-threatening" flash flooding and mudslides. Oscar made landfall in Cuba last night as a Category 1 hurricane but has since weakened to tropical storm strength. The tropical storm, which blustered through the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands on its journey westwards towards Cuba, currently has 45 miles per hour wind speeds.
"Through midweek, heavy rainfall from Oscar will lead to areas of significant, life-threatening flash flooding along with mudslides across portions of eastern Cuba, especially within the Sierra Maestra," the National Hurricane Center warned in a forecast. Tropical storm-strength winds are expected to batter much of the southeast of the island nation throughout today and tomorrow. Intense rainfall is forecast, with between 7 and 14 inches of rain—up to 20 inches in certain areas—predicted. Additionally, storm surges are forecast along the coast.
"Elevated water levels in areas of onshore winds along the coast of eastern Cuba will gradually subside later today and tonight. Near the coast, large and dangerous waves will continue into early Tuesday," the NHC said. "Preliminary reports in the Province of Guantanamo in eastern Cuba already indicate more than 10 inches of rain have fallen in spots."
This comes after millions across Cuba suffered a days-long power blackout due to one of the island's major power plants failing. Oscar developed rapidly from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Saturday, reaching a maximum wind speed of 85 mph, before dropping down into a tropical storm on Sunday afternoon after landfall in Cuba.
"It is less common to have storms develop further east in the basin in mid/late October than for storms to form in the western Caribbean," Nicholas Grondin, an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Tampa, told Newsweek. "Like all tropical cyclones, a sufficient amount of warm ocean water to provide fuel for the storm is key for development."
The tropical storm is expected to weaken further as it travels across Cuba and not intensify much more during its journey northeast across the Caribbean. "Some additional weakening is expected while Oscar continues to interact with the land mass of eastern Cuba today, and Oscar could weaken to a tropical depression before the circulation moves over water," the NHC said.
"Thereafter, the system will be contending with increasing westerly vertical wind shear and drier air. Therefore only slight restrengthening is anticipated within the next day or so, followed by little change in strength before Oscar becomes absorbed by the non-tropical low pressure system.
"On the forecast track, the center of Oscar is expected to continue moving across eastern Cuba through this afternoon, then emerge off the northern coast of Cuba later today or tonight and move near the southeastern and central Bahamas on Tuesday."
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