Hurricane Oscar (2024)

Hurricane Oscar was a compact tropical cyclone, with the smallest hurricane-force wind field on record in the Atlantic, which made landfall on Grand Turk Island and in eastern Cuba, where it caused moderate damage, in late October 2024. The fifteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Oscar originated from a long-lived tropical wave which moved off of the coast of West Africa on October 10. It did not undergo tropical cyclogenesis until October 19, due to adverse atmospheric conditions. Oscar immediately began a round of rapid intensification, becoming a Category 1 hurricane that same day. After reaching its first peak intensity while passing over Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the storm moved slowly towards Cuba, making landfall late on October 20. Land interaction severely disrupted the system, and Oscar emerged north of Cuba as a minimal tropical storm with a poorly-defined center. Unfavorable conditions continued to hamper the storm, and Oscar later dissipated on October 22 after opening into a trough.

Coastal watches and warnings for Oscar were issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeastern Bahamas, and eastern Cuba on October 19, mere hours ahead of initial impacts. Eight people were confirmed to have died as a result of Oscar, all in Cuba. The total damage related to Oscar was estimated to be at US$50 million, primarily in Cuba. Its impact there was amplified by a severe national power outage, which began just prior to the storm's arrival.