Tropical Storm Oscar Not Likely to Impact Travel

Tropical Storm Oscar, which made landfall over Cuba as a Category 1 Hurricane on Sunday, is not likely to impact travel the way previous major storms have this season.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Oscar, now a Tropical Storm, on Monday morning was over the eastern tip of Cuba, bringing heavy rain and some flooding to the island. Oscar expects to track back toward the Bahamas next, moving near the southeastern and central Bahamas on Tuesday. Here are the latest warnings and watches from the NHC:

•  Tropical Storm Warning (Tropical Storm conditions expected) for the north coast of Cuban provinces of Las Tunas, Holguin, and Guantanamo to Punta Maisi; the south coast of the Cuban province of Guantanamo; and southeastern Bahamas.
• Tropical Storm Watch (Tropical Storm conditions possible within the next 36 hours) for the northern coast of Cuba’s Camaguey province and the central Bahamas.

On the forecast front, Oscar is unlikely to turn towards the U.S. after moving passed the Bahamas. It might have some impact on travel to the Bahamas, but with maximum sustain winds near 50 mph and likely to decrease even further, most forecasts do not see a major impact unless things drastically change.

As of Monday morning, no major airline has issued any waivers for the storm’s impact. Air Canada did have a waiver for Providenciales International Airport (PLS) in Turks and Caicos on Sunday, but that has expired.