MIAMI – Tropical Storm Oscar formed suddenly in the western Atlantic on Saturday, transforming almost instantly in a matter of hours from a disturbance that struggled for days to organize into a violent tropical cyclone that is bracing some northern Caribbean islands for its impact.

Oscar has peak winds of 40 miles per hour and is located just under 200 miles from the southeastern Bahamas. Tropical storm warnings now cover parts of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and eastern Cuba.

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The storm, previously named Invest 94L, had little chance of becoming tropical on Friday. But Oscar found a patch of warm water and atmospheric conditions he liked and quickly developed a well-defined center by Saturday morning.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Oscar continues to produce a concentrated area of ​​showers and thunderstorms as it lies less than 100 miles east of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The storm will bring heavy rainfall, rough surf and gusty winds. Gusts in excess of 40 mph will reach the coasts Saturday evening within tropical storm warnings. By Tuesday, rainfall totals will reach 2 to 4 inches (up to 6 inches in isolated areas) in the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeastern Cuba and southeastern Bahamas, the NHC said

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“The system will move westward near the Dominican Republic and Haiti and then stall near or over the southeastern Bahamas or eastern Cuba,” said FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. “It is forecast to remain there until Monday, probably as a weak system. Hostile high-altitude winds will intrude and whatever remains will likely be swept north.”

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Tropical Storm Oscar became the second tropical storm to be named on Saturday, following Tropical Storm Nadine, which was named near Belize early Saturday morning. It is believed to be the first time since September 18, 2020 that multiple storms have been named on the same day, when all storms were named Wilma, Alpha, and Beta.

TROPICAL STORM NADINE THREATENES VISITING RAIN IN BELIZE, SOUTHERN MEXICO

Could Tropical Storm Oscar hit the US?

While the northern Caribbean islands should monitor Oscar’s progress, the storm continues to pose no threat to the United States.

An extensive ridge of high pressure anchored over the East Coast acts as a protective barrier, with a front at the ridge’s boundary providing hostile atmospheric conditions for any tropical systems approaching Florida or the southeast coast.