Hurricane Oscar made landfall on the northern coast of east Cuba with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph. The compact but powerful Category 1 storm formed off the coast of the Bahamas and prompted hurricane warnings for several Cuban provinces. After moving across eastern Cuba on Sunday night into Monday, Oscar is expected to accelerate northeastward across the central Bahamas on Tuesday. Despite weakening after landfall, Oscar could still be a tropical storm as it moves north of Cuba late Monday and into the central Bahamas on Tuesday. Cuba is bracing for impact with storm warnings and watches, with the electrical grid collapsing twice in 24 hours. The north coast of Las Tunas was under both a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning, while the south coast of Guantanamo and the north coast of Camaguey were also under tropical storm advisories. Heavy rainfall is expected in eastern Cuba, with up to 15 inches in some areas, while the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos may also see significant rainfall amounts. Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is expected along Cuba’s north shore, along with large and destructive waves near the coast.
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Category 1 Hurricane Oscar hits Cuba as it reaches land
