MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Oscar brought heavy rain and winds to Cuba Massive power outageAfter hitting the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday, the US National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane center in Miami said the storm’s center made landfall Sunday evening in the eastern Cuban province of Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa. Its maximum sustained winds are 75 mph (120 kph).
The system is expected to move across eastern Cuba on Sunday night and Monday. Forecasters said 6 to 12 inches (15.2 to 30.5 centimeters) of rain will fall across eastern Cuba early Wednesday, with some isolated spots getting up to 18 inches (45.72 centimeters). The center said storm surges of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) could hit parts of Cuba’s northern coast.
Oscar is expected to weaken over eastern Cuba and turn northeast toward the central Bahamas on Tuesday, the center said.
Late Sunday the storm’s center was located about 20 miles (kilometers) west of the eastern tip of Cuba and 45 miles (75 kilometers) east of Guantanamo. It was moving west-southwest at 6 mph (9 kph).
Oscar washed ashore on Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas earlier on Sunday. It was expected to produce a dangerous storm surge that could translate into significant coastal flooding there and in other parts of the southeastern Bahamas. Two to four inches (5.1 to 10.2 centimeters) of rain is expected, with up to 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) in isolated areas.
The hurricane’s arrival comes as Cuba struggles to recover from its worst blackout in at least two years, which left millions without power for two days last week. There was some electric service Rescued on Saturday.
Philip Babin of the National Hurricane Center said Oscar’s development into a hurricane on Saturday was somewhat unexpected.
“Unfortunately the system snuck up on us a little bit,” Babin said.
A few hours ago, Tropical Storm Nadine formed off the southern Caribbean coast of Mexico. As it moves over land it becomes a tropical depression.
