Issued at 200 PM EDT Sat Oct 19 2024
000 WTNT41 KNHC 191755 TCDAT1 Hurricane Oscar Special Discussion Number 2 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL162024 200 PM EDT Sat Oct 19 2024 This is a special advisory to update the initial and forecast intensity for Oscar and current watches and warnings. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission is currently flying through the system, and in their second southwest-to-northeast leg found 700 mb flight level winds of 76 kt, and a minimum central pressure of 989 mb. The plane also reported a very small 3 n mi wide eye. A dropsonde recently launched in the northern quadrant also had a 150 m boundary layer mean wind of 80 kt. A blend of these data supports upgrading Oscar to a hurricane this advisory with maximum sustained winds of 70 kt. The intensity forecast has been updated accordingly, and is substantially higher than the previous one. Due to this unexpected higher intensity, the government of the Bahamas has issued a Hurricane Warning for the Turks and Caicos Islands and Southeastern Bahamas. The government of Cuba has also issued a Hurricane Watch for the same area currently under a Tropical Storm Warning. Key Messages: 1. Oscar is now expected to bring hurricane conditions to portions of the southeastern Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and eastern Cuba during the next day or so. A Hurricane Warning has now been issued for those locations. 2. Oscar is expected to produce a dangerous storm surge on the Turks and Caicos Islands beginning this evening. 3. Locally heavy rainfall is possible across the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas later today and tonight. These rains are expected to spread to eastern Cuba on Sunday. FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS INIT 19/1800Z 21.4N 70.6W 70 KT 80 MPH 12H 20/0000Z 21.4N 71.9W 75 KT 85 MPH 24H 20/1200Z 21.2N 73.8W 75 KT 85 MPH 36H 21/0000Z 20.9N 74.9W 70 KT 80 MPH 48H 21/1200Z 21.0N 75.8W 60 KT 70 MPH 60H 22/0000Z 21.6N 75.9W 50 KT 60 MPH 72H 22/1200Z 22.5N 75.0W 45 KT 50 MPH 96H 23/1200Z 25.1N 72.6W 45 KT 50 MPH 120H 24/1200Z...DISSIPATED $$ Forecaster Papin/Cangialosi
