BAHAMAS –  Hurricane Oscar made landfall on the Great Inagua island in the southeast Bahamas early Sunday morning as a category one storm. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center says the system is now heading toward Cuba, an island recently beleaguered by a massive power outage.

It is expected to produce a dangerous storm surge that could cause significant coastal flooding on the Great Inagua Island and in other areas of the southeastern Bahamas.

Two to four inches of rainfall are expected, with isolated amounts of up to six inches. Forecasters said five to 10 inches of rain, and even isolated amounts of up to 15 inches, are expected across eastern Cuba through Tuesday. The hurricane is one of the smallest cyclones on record in the Atlantic Basin, with hurricane-force winds of 74-plus mph only extending outwards five miles from the centre.

A Hurricane Hunter aircraft also determined the cyclone’s eye was just more than three miles wide, making it one of the smallest features since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Due to Oscar’s small size, fluctuations in intensity will be common, as the cyclone can take advantage of pockets of dry air and shear. Oscar became the second named storm, joining Tropical Storm Nadine, christened early Saturday morning near Belize. (jamaicaobserver)…[+]