By Judson Jones
Oscar made landfall in the province of Guantánamo in eastern Cuba on Sunday evening as a Category 1 hurricane, with forecasters warning of significant amounts of rain and the potential for a dangerous storm surge as the country faces an ongoing nationwide electricity crisis.
Oscar was expected to move slowly through Cuba’s northeastern coast overnight into Monday before it turns back to the northeast and moves through the central Bahamas.
Here’s what you need to know:
— Oscar is expected to bring heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge to parts of Cuba, where a power crisis has resulted in repeated nationwide blackouts. Six to 12 inches of rain are expected there through Wednesday, with up to 18 inches in some isolated areas.
— The storm also made landfall earlier Sunday in the Bahamas, where warnings remained in place and where 3 to 5 inches of rain were expected. Across the Turks and Caicos, an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected through Wednesday morning.
— Forecasters had predicted a hyperactive hurricane season this year, but an extended lull kept things quiet for much of the first half. With Oscar, there have now been 10 storms since Sept. 9, seven of them hurricanes. Some, like Kirk and Leslie, remained far out at sea, but three, Francine, Helene and Milton, made landfall in the United States.
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