Hurricane Oscar (2024)

Hurricane Oscar

Oscar north of Hispaniola at peak intensity on October 19
Meteorological history
Formed	October 19, 2024
Dissipated	October 22, 2024
Category 1 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	85 mph (140 km/h)
Lowest pressure	986 mbar (hPa); 29.12 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	≥6
Damage	Unknown
Areas affected	Turks and Caicos Islands Southern Bahamas Eastern Cuba
Part of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Oscar was the smallest hurricane-strength tropical cyclone on record, which caused moderate damage in eastern Cuba in late October 2024.^[1] The fifteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Oscar originated from a long-tracked tropical wave which moved off of the west coast of Africa on October 10. It did not undergo tropical cyclogenesis until October 19, due to adverse atmospheric conditions. On that same day, the compact storm had a round of rapid intensification and became a Category 1 hurricane. After peaking in intensity, Oscar remained steady in intensity as it moved slowly towards Cuba, making landfall late on October 20 at a slightly weaker intensity. Land interaction severely disrupted the small storm, and Oscar emerged north of Cuba as a minimal tropical storm with a poorly-defined center. Unfavorable conditions continued to hamper the small storm, and Oscar later dissipated on October 22 after opening into a trough.

Due to the rapid development of Oscar, preparations were sudden across the Greater Antilles. Hurricane watches and warnings were issued across the Turks and Caicos Islands, Southeastern Bahamas, and Cuba on October 19. So far, at least six people have been confirmed to have died as a result of Oscar, all in Cuba, which was amplified by an ongoing power outage there. Oscar became post-tropical on October 22, 2024.^[2]