Hurricane Oscar, which the National Hurricane center has characterized as “compact but powerful,” formed off the coast of the Bahamas Saturday, prompting hurricane warnings for southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of Cuba.
As of the center’s 11 p.m. ET update, Oscar was about 70 miles west-southwest of Grand Turk Island and about 365 miles east of Camaguey, Cuba.
The Category 1 storm is boasting maximum sustained winds of 85 mph with higher gusts, and it was moving west at 12 mph, according to the hurricane center update.
“Small intensity fluctuations are possible during the next day or so, but weakening is anticipated on Sunday night and Monday after the center crosses the coast,” the center said late Saturday.
Turks and Caicos was told to brace for hurricane conditions Saturday night. As of 11 p.m., the storm was passing south of the islands, it said.
Storm warnings and watches are in effect in Cuba, with the government issuing a hurricane warning for the the country’s northern coast for the province of Holguin and Guantanamo to Punta Maisi. The north coast of the Cuban province of Las Tunas was under both a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the south coast of Cuban province of Guantanamo, and a tropical storm watch was in effect for the north coast of the province of Camaguey
Cuba’s watch area could be impacted by tropical storm conditions by Sunday night, and hurricane conditions could hit that area Sunday night or early Monday, the hurricane center said.
Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas should expect 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, with six inches possible in some areas, according to the hurricane center.
Rainfall in eastern Cuba is expected to reach 4 to 6 inches with eight inches of rainfall in some places, the hurricane center said.
Turks and Caicos will also likely face a storm surge between 2 and 4 feet that is expected “to produce significant coastal flooding” in the islands. Minor coastal flooding is also possible along the north shore of Cuba.
First appeared on www.nbcnews.com