Hurricane Oscar to hit powerless homes as Nadine threatens flash flooding in unusually busy storm season

Tropical Storm Nadine and Hurricane Oscar quickly formed in the western Caribbean, riding the wave of a surge in hurricane season activity, weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton wreaked havoc on the southeastern United States.

On Saturday, Hurricane Nadine was downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved across Guatemala, while Hurricane Oscar is predicted to maintain its Category 1 status today as it passes through the Greater Antilles.

Although Tropical Storm Nadine has now dissipated over southern Mexico, its remnants could still trigger flash flooding in Central America. Neither storm directly threatens the United States, but Oscar could bring rain and strong winds to the Bahamas and Cuba.

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Nadine unleashed heavy rain and strong winds on neighboring Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that by early Sunday, Nadine had moved across Guatemala and into Mexico's southeastern states of Chiapas and Tabasco. Moving west at about 13 mph (21 kph), Nadine's maximum winds had slowed to near 35 mph (56 kph), according to the NHC.

The US National Hurricane Center says Oscar, with winds of 140 kilometers (85 miles) per hour, is forecast to reach eastern Cuba on Sunday. There, heavy rains are anticipated.

Cuba is bracing for Hurricane Oscar's impact on Sunday while still reeling from a massive nationwide power outage. The country's struggle with rampant inflation and shortages of essentials like food, medicine, fuel, and water has only intensified with Hurricane Oscar threatening further turmoil.

Just days after the breakdown of Cuba's largest power plant plunged the nation into darkness, President Miguel Diaz-Canel took to social media on Saturday, asserting that officials in the country's eastern regions are "working hard to protect the people and economic resources, given the imminent arrival of Hurricane Oscar."

Weather experts had already predicted an unusually busy season, estimating 17 to 24 named storms, of which eight to 13 were likely to escalate into hurricanes. According to the season's tally, 15 storms have been called, with ten escalating into hurricanes and four reaching major hurricane status as Category 3 or above.

Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist from Colorado State University, notes Oscar marks the eighth named storm since September 24, this frequency setting a new record for the most named storms between September 24 and October 19.