Hurricane Oscar Emerges in the Caribbean: Rapid Strengthening Surprises Forecasters

Hurricane Oscar

A storm system in the Caribbean swiftly intensified on Saturday, transforming from a tropical storm into Hurricane Oscar, marking the 10th hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season.

At 2 p.m. ET, meteorologists upgraded Oscar to hurricane status, noting that its winds were significantly stronger than previously estimated. With maximum sustained winds reaching around 80 mph and even stronger gusts, this development was deemed "unexpected" by forecasters. There’s potential for further strengthening throughout Saturday, but a gradual decline in intensity is anticipated next week.

Hurricane Oscar is expected to generate indirect effects along East Coast beaches in the U.S., bringing a long period swell in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida.

Notably, Oscar is the eighth named storm to develop since September 24, setting a new record for the most named storms to form within this timeframe, previously established in 1950, as highlighted by Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas, while Cuba has announced hurricane watches for the provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas.

Hurricane Oscar Emerges in the Caribbean: Rapid Strengthening Surprises Forecasters