Hurricane Oscar continues to spin about in the open waters of the central Atlantic Ocean, picking up some strength as it does so. Fortunately for interests in the United States and likely Europe, Oscar should not impact any land as a tropical cyclone.
In the last advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the eye of Hurricane Oscar was located near latitude 25.8 North, longitude 58.4 West. Oscar is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph ). A turn toward the northwest at a slower forward speed is expected later today by the NHC, followed by a motion toward the north tonight. On Tuesday, Oscar is forecast to begin moving toward the north-northeast with an increase in forward speed. The hurricane is then expected to accelerate quickly toward the northeast through the middle of the week.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 85 mph with higher gusts, making it a Category 1 Hurricane for now. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting additional strengthening through tomorrow followed by gradual weakening thereafter. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles (30 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 981 mb or 28.97 inches.
The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season runs through to the end of November.
