Oscar Menaces the Bahamas and Cuba but Will it Impact the U.S.?

What was once a hurricane, Oscar is now a tropical storm that is dumping rain across eastern Cuba. What is next for this tropical weather system and will it bring impacts to the U.S.? Here is a look at what is happening in the tropics.

Latest on Tropical Storm Oscar

Oscar made the second landfall of its lifespan when it came ashore Sunday at about 5:50 pm ET in eastern Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane. Oscar made its first landfall about 12 hours earlier over Great Inagua Island located in the southeastern Bahamas.

The storm is bringing life-threatening flooding to eastern Cuba as it crawls along at a slow pace of just 2 mph. The slow speed means that the storm is sending massive amounts of rainfall over the region. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is forecasting that Cuba will pick up rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches through Wednesday morning. Isolated pockets could see up to 18 inches.

Cubans are also dealing with widespread power outages as the island nation's power grid collapsed once again. The power outages began before Oscar arrived to the region as the country continues to deal with issues in its power supply.

While it did not take a direct hit, the capital city of Havana was largely left in the dark due to the pre-existing issues and the additional problems created by Oscar. Some residents are protesting the blackout by taking to the streets and disrupting traffic.

The Cuban government cancelled classes on Monday through Wednesday after also canceling them on Friday. Officials are also telling non-essential workers to stay home. The U.S. Embassy in Havana announced that it is only open to provide emergency services on Monday.

Cuban authorities are blaming the energy crisis on a variety of factors ranging from recent tropical weather events, increased U.S. sanctions, and the crumbling state of the country's infrastructure.