Hurricane Oscar gaining strength in Atlantic, but poses no threat yet

Forecasters said Monday Hurricane Oscar is gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean, but poses no threat to the United States. Image courtesy NOAA

By Allen Cone and Clyde Hughes, UPI

Hurricane Oscar has gained strength in the Atlantic Ocean and should get even stronger, forecasters said Monday.

Oscar, the 15th named storm this season, was located about 590 miles southeast of Bermuda and 605 miles northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory Monday. It was moving west at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Storms become hurricanes at 74 mph.

Oscar is a Category 1 storm but the NHC said it should get stronger. Meteorologists, though, said they do not expect Oscar to threaten the United States.

Oscar quickly grew from a tropical storm Saturday to a hurricane Sunday. It's the eighth hurricane this season.

No coastal watches of warnings are in effect.

Forecasters said Oscar will move west until Tuesday and then turn north, with an increase in forward speed but diminished strength as it heads toward Europe. Forecasters said Oscar will be a tropical storm if it makes landfall somewhere near Ireland.