Sudden storms are extremely unusual, but they do happen. Hurricane Humberto in 2007 was a good example; it strengthened from a tropical depression to a hurricane in one day just off the coast of Texas, setting a record for its rapid growth and intensity.
History repeated itself on October 19, according to Fox Weather. On October 18, a tropical disturbance appeared unlikely to develop, but by October 19, it was a rapidly intensifying storm.
No computer forecast model predicted the sudden development of Hurricane Oscar. Hurricane warnings were hastily issued for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Oscar is a small storm, which poses significant forecasting challenges. These small storms can form quickly, but they can also dissipate quickly if they encounter fierce upper-level winds.
The storm's winds only extend about 10km from the storm's centre to the north and east of the circulation, so Oscar's most significant impact will be over a very small area. The strongest winds will extend about 40km.
It appears that the eye of Hurricane Oscar will pass through or through the Turks and Caicos Islands this evening. There is a chance that the eye of the storm will directly impact one or more of those islands.
Hurricane Oscar quickly strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on the 5-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale and formed an eyewall, indicating that it will continue to strengthen, possibly becoming at least a Category 2 hurricane.
Oscar is expected to drift toward the northeastern coast of Cuba before high winds begin to cause damage. The weakened storm will move north and dissipate by the middle of next week. Oscar does not pose a threat to the United States.
Hurricanes that come and go are extremely unusual, but they do happen. Hurricane Humberto in 2007 was an example; it strengthened from a tropical depression to a hurricane in just one day off the upper Texas coast, setting a record for rapid development and intensity.
Oscar looks set to break Humberto's record hours after the data is carefully analyzed. Humberto is also a small storm that took advantage of a pocket of atmosphere that was very favorable for development.
Oscar is the 10th hurricane of the eventful 2024 hurricane season, marking the 10th time in the record books that a season has produced that many hurricanes, according to Colorado State University statistician Dr. Phil Klotzbach. Of course, there’s no guarantee that another hurricane won’t form this season.
Tropical Storm Nadine made landfall in Belize on October 19, but remains a tropical storm across the northern half of Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Heavy rains could cause flooding and possible mudslides in southern Mexico and areas around Central America. Nadine’s circulation is expected to dissipate tomorrow, but the threat of rain will continue.
The tropics are expected to calm down after the current storms dissipate, at least through Halloween (October 31), but further storms could emerge in November, forecasters say.
