Hurricane Oscar makes landfall in Bahamas, NHC says

(Reuters) – Hurricane Oscar has made landfall on Great Inagua island in the Bahamas and is expected to reach Guantanamo or Holguin in Cuba on Sunday afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Oscar is currently located about 150 miles (241.4 km) east-northeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), the Miami-based forecaster said.

NHC expects Oscar to weaken after making landfall at the northeastern coast of Cuba, but it could still be a tropical storm when it moves north of Cuba late Monday and across the central Bahamas on Tuesday.

Oscar’s approach comes as Cuba is struggling to restore power after its worst blackout in years.

The government of the Bahamas has changed its hurricane warning for the Turks and Caicos Islands to a tropical storm warning, NHC said.

Hurricane warnings for Southeastern Bahamas, north coast of the Cuban Provinces of Holguin, Guantanamo and Las Tunas are still in place.