Tropical Storm Oscar dumps heavy rain on eastern Cuba as it heads toward the Bahamas

HAVANA — Tropical Storm Oscar dumped heavy rain across eastern Cuba on Monday after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on the island already beleaguered by a massive power outage.

Its maximum sustained winds were blowing at 50 mph (85 kph) on Monday as Oscar moved west at 2 mph (4 kph). The storm was located about 5 miles (10 kilometers) east of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain were forecast across eastern Cuba, with isolated amounts of up to 20 inches (51 centimeters), with forecasters warning of “significant, life-threatening flash flooding along with mudslides.”

Oscar made landfall in the eastern province of Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa, on Sunday evening with winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The storm also had made landfall on Saturday on Great Inagua in the Bahamas, where residents were evacuated after their homes were damaged.

Rain and flooding in low-lying areas were reported in Cuba's eastern provinces. Cuban media said 2-meter (6.5-feet) swells were hitting the coast and that roofs and walls in Baracoa had been damaged.

The storm is expected to emerge off Cuba's northern coast late Monday and move near the southeastern and central Bahamas on Tuesday, U.S. forecasters said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the north coast of the Cuban provinces of Las Tunas, Holguin, and Guantanamo to Punta Maisi; for the south coast Guantánamo province; and for the southeastern Bahamas. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the north coast of Camaguey province and the central Bahamas.

Cuba suffered an islandwide power blackout Friday. Some electrical service was restored Saturday, but most residents remain without power. The country's energy minister expressed hope the grid could be restored Monday or Tuesday.