&sq=&lang=&file=File:Oscar_2024-10-19_1700Z.jpg) Oscar north of Hispaniola near 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 | 8 |
| Damage | >$10 million (2024 USD) |
| Areas affected |
|
Part of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Oscar was a compact tropical cyclone, the smallest Atlantic hurricane 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 very long-lived 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 wind intensity, Oscar remained steady in intensity as it moved slowly towards Cuba, making landfall late on October 20 with slightly weaker winds but at peak pressure 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. Seven people were confirmed to have died as a result of Oscar, all in Cuba, which was amplified by a severe national power outage. Preliminary damage estimates are in the “tens of millions.”[2]
- ^ Rice, Doyle. "How Hurricane Oscar fooled forecasters, became smallest on record". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ Čejka, Tomáš; Elizondo, Antonio; Hotový, Ondřej; Lörinc, Michal (October 25, 2024). "Weekly Cat Report October 25, 2024" (PDF). aonunited.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.