A small tropical cyclone formed from a tropical wave and broad low that moved off the west coast of Africa on 28 September 2012. A well-defined low developed by early 2 October, and the system became a tropical depression at 0600 UTC on 3 October about 900 nautical miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. It strengthened to Tropical Storm Oscar later that day, moved generally north-northwest and then turned northeast, and degenerated into a trough shortly after 1200 UTC on 5 October. The remnant trough was absorbed by a cold front around 0000 UTC 6 October.
Oscar did not make landfall at any time. Its entire life was over the eastern and central Atlantic well away from land, and no coastal warnings or watches were issued.
The storm’s peak sustained winds were 45 knots (about 52 mph) and its minimum central pressure was 994 mb. That peak intensity was reached by 1200 UTC 4 October and was maintained through 1200 UTC 5 October, making Oscar a moderate tropical storm at its strongest.
Because Oscar stayed over open water, there were no reported storm surge measurements or rainfall impacts on land. There were also no ship reports of tropical-storm-force winds associated with Oscar.
There were no reported deaths or damage related to Oscar. The regions most affected were only the open-ocean areas where the cyclone existed; no populated areas reported impacts.
Noteworthy points: the storm’s genesis was well predicted by forecasts (probabilities were raised from low to high in the two days before formation). NHC track and intensity forecasts for Oscar performed at or better than recent averages; several forecast models (notably GFS and ECMWF) outperformed the official track forecast in some cases.
Paid members can generate summaries tailored to the counties of their choice. The Oscar TCR covers impacts across many counties and states — a Pinellas County resident doesn't need the Asheville detail, and a Buncombe County resident doesn't need the Tampa surge data.
Upgrade for county-specific summariesSummary above produced from the National Hurricane Center's official post-storm Tropical Cyclone Report. Read the full report for casualty lists, damage estimates by area, forecast critique, and detailed meteorological discussion:
📄 Read NHC's full report on Oscar → (opens at nhc.noaa.gov)| Time (UTC) | Status | Lat | Lon | Winds (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-02 12:00 | LO | 12.40 | -38.00 | 25 | 1008 | |
| 2012-10-02 18:00 | LO | 13.60 | -38.70 | 25 | 1008 | |
| 2012-10-03 00:00 | LO | 15.00 | -39.60 | 30 | 1007 | |
| 2012-10-03 06:00 | TD | 16.30 | -40.50 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2012-10-03 12:00 | TD | 17.40 | -41.20 | 30 | 1006 | |
| 2012-10-03 18:00 | TS | 18.20 | -41.80 | 35 | 1005 | |
| 2012-10-04 00:00 | TS | 18.90 | -42.10 | 40 | 1002 | |
| 2012-10-04 06:00 | TS | 19.50 | -42.20 | 40 | 1001 | |
| 2012-10-04 12:00 | TS | 20.20 | -42.00 | 45 | 998 | |
| 2012-10-04 18:00 | TS | 21.00 | -41.50 | 45 | 996 | |
| 2012-10-05 00:00 | TS | 21.80 | -40.60 | 45 | 995 | |
| 2012-10-05 06:00 | TS | 22.70 | -39.40 | 45 | 994 | |
| 2012-10-05 12:00 | TS | 23.50 | -37.80 | 45 | 994 |
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 best-track database (nhc.noaa.gov/data). Data is in the public domain. Best-track positions and intensities are post-storm reanalysis estimates and may differ from real-time advisories.