|
Its maximum sustained winds were blowing at 40 mph (65 kph) as
Oscar moved north-northeast at 9 mph (14 kph). The storm early
Tuesday was about 70 miles (115 kilometers) south of Long
Island, Bahamas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami
said. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the central and
southeastern Bahamas.
Oscar is the smallest hurricane on record, with a wind field of
only about 6 miles (10 kilometers) across, according to
hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry.
He noted that not a single forecast model indicated that Oscar
might strengthen into a hurricane on Saturday before making
landfall in the Bahamas. “It’s not often we see a colossal
failure in hurricane forecasting,” he wrote in an analysis
published Monday.
Oscar was a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120 kph)
when it made landfall in the eastern Cuban province of
Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa, on Sunday evening.
Flooding in low-lying areas was reported and at least six
deaths. Cubans were already suffering from a major power outage
that has knocked out power and water across the island since
last week.
Oscar earlier made landfall on Saturday on Great Inagua in the
Bahamas, where residents were evacuated after their homes were
damaged.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kristy formed off Mexico’s southern
Pacific coast Monday. The storm was 315 miles (510 kilometers)
southwest of Acapulco and was moving west at 16 mph (26 kph). It
had sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), according to the
National Hurricane Center.
Kristy was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday but
continue moving over open waters without threatening land.
___
Associated Press reporter Julie Walker in New York contributed
to this report.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
