Invest 94L has developed to become Tropical Storm Oscar in the Atlantic. Oscar is the 14th named storm of this year’s hurricane season.
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Oscar suddenly formed in the western Atlantic Ocean Saturday, nearly instantly transforming from a disturbance struggling for days to get organized into a robust tropical cyclone in just hours that has some northern Caribbean islands bracing for its impact.
Oscar has peak sustained winds of 40 mph and is just under 200 miles from the southeastern Bahamas. Tropical Storm Warnings now cover parts of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and eastern Cuba.
(FOX Weather)
The storm, previously designated Invest 94L, was barely hanging on for any prospects for tropical development Friday. But Oscar found a patch of warm water and atmospheric conditions to its liking, rapidly developing a well-defined center Saturday morning.
Oscar continues to produce a concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms as it sits located less than 100 miles east of the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm will bring heavy rains, rough surf and gusty winds. Gusts over 40 mph will reach the coasts within the Tropical Storm Warnings Saturday night. Rainfall amounts will reach 2-4 inches with isolated areas to 6 inches across the Turks and Caicos, southeastern Cuba and southeastern Bahamas through Tuesday, the NHC said
(FOX Weather)
“The system will track west, near the Dominican Republic and Haiti, then stall near or over the southeastern Bahamas or eastern Cuba,” said FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. “It is forecast to linger there into Monday, likely as a weak system. Hostile upper winds will move in and whatever’s left of it will likely be swept to the north.”
(FOX Weather)
Tropical Storm Oscar became the second tropical storm to get a name on Saturday, joining Tropical Storm Nadine, which was christened early Saturday morning near Belize. It’s believed to be the first time multiple storms were named on the same date since Sept. 18, 2020, when Wilma, Alpha and Beta were all named.
TROPICAL STORM NADINE THREATENING TORRENTIAL RAINS IN BELIZE, SOUTHERN MEXICO
Could Tropical Storm Oscar reach the US?
While the northern Caribbean islands should monitor Oscar’s progress, the storm remains no threat to the US.
An expansive ridge of high pressure anchored over the East Coast is acting like a protective barrier, with a front at the ridge’s boundary providing hostile atmospheric conditions for any tropical systems to approach Florida or the Southeastern coast.