Hurricane Oscar Forms in Atlantic Ocean as Track Forecast Updated

Hurricane Oscar Forms in Atlantic Ocean as Track Forecast Updated
The forecast for the path of Hurricane Oscar from the National Hurricane Center on Oct. 29, 2018. (National Hurricane Center)
Zachary Stieber
10/29/2018
Updated:
10/29/2018

Tropical Storm Oscar became Hurricane Oscar, officials with the National Hurricane Center said on Oct. 28.

The hurricane is the eighth of the Atlantic hurricane season and formed far out in the western Atlantic, with wind speeds of up to 80 miles per hour detected.

Additional strengthening is forecast through Tuesday, with a gradual weakening forecast after.

But the expected track of the storm has it going further out to sea and not affecting the United States nor any other landmass. Officials at the hurricane center said it was about 815 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and moving slowly west, but was expected to turn northwest soon.

Under the heading Hazards Affecting Land, the hurricane center said: “None.”

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year, while the Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to Nov. 30, the center said. The Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Season

The Atlantic hurricane season typically peaks in September and October, but major storms do sometimes form in November.
The system that became Hurricane Kate formed southeast of the Bahamas on Nov. 8, 2015, noted the WeatherBug blog.

The system ended up becoming a category 1 hurricane three days later and eventually produced wild autumn weather, including some flooding, in Ireland and Wales, though it didn’t directly affect any landmass.

“Most November tropical systems usually form in only one of two spots, the western Atlantic northeast of Cuba and in the southwestern Caribbean near the Central American coast. Storms that form in November, whether they develop in the Caribbean or over the western Atlantic, usually track to the northeast toward the open waters of the western and central Atlantic,” the blog noted.

“These storms can be troublesome for eastern Cuba, the Bahama, and Bermuda. On a rare occasion, storms that form near the Central America coast can track north into the Gulf of Mexico and turn to the northeast toward Florida,” it stated.

Systems have a better chance of surviving and developing in the locations because water temperatures haven’t cooled off below the 80 degrees Fahrenheit threshold storms need to form and grow, and wind shear often remains low in November.

From NTD.tv