Eta, the slow-churning storm barreling towards the eastern coast of Central America, was upgraded to "a major hurricane" Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It is now a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour, according to the NHC's 4 p.m. ET advisory, which adds the storm could produce "life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds, flash flooding and landslides."
While it is moving at 9 miles per hour, forecasters say that satellite data indicate that Eta is rapidly gaining strength and will continue to do so as it reaches the coast of Nicaragua.
The storm is expected to lose strength, eventually, but only after it makes landfall, which is expected to happen late Monday or early Tuesday.
"Catastrophic wind damage is expected where Eta's eye wall moves onshore, and preparations should be rushed to completion within the Hurricane Warning area," the NHC said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the coast Nicaragua from its northern border with Honduras down to the coastal down Sandy Bay Sirpi. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the northeastern coast of Honduras.
Hurricane Eta, the 28th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, rapidly intensified into a Category 3 cyclone Monday, and is due to soon strike Central America, bringing with it severe winds and inches of rain that are expected to create landslide conditions.
ReplyDeleteThe US’ National Hurricane Center indicated in its latest release that the powerful storm is forecast to make landfall sometime Tuesday as a “major hurricane” anywhere from Nicaragua’s Sandy Bay Sirpi to the country’s border with Honduras.
At present, the cyclone is roughly 85 miles from Cabo Gracias a Dios, a cape situated between the Nicaragua-Honduras border, and moving at a pace of 9 mph. Eta has reached maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 mph.
Nicaragua and Honduras alone are forecast to endure anywhere between 15 to 25 inches, with isolated portions experiencing up to 35 inches of rain. Elsewhere, in Guatemala, Belize, Panama and Costa Rica, residents may see up to 25 inches of rain. El Salvador, Southern Haiti and the Cayman Islands have the lowest anticipated rainfall in the region, at just 3 to 5 inches.
ReplyDeleteLa tormenta tropical Eta se convirtió en huracán mientras cobra fuerza al dirigirse a las costas de Honduras, en Centroamérica.
ReplyDeleteAsí lo señala el último reporte del Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC, por sus siglas en inglés), fechado a las 7:00 horas tiempo del Este de EE.UU., que destaca el "rápido fortalecimiento" de Eta.
El NHC advierte de "marejadas que ponen en peligro la vida, vientos dañinos, inundaciones repentinas y deslizamientos de tierra en Centroamérica".
El Sistema Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos y la Comisión Permanente de Contingencias de Honduras determinaron establecer la alerta amarilla para los departamentos de Gracias a Dios, Colón, Islas de la Bahía, Yoro, Cortés y Olancho, por un período de 48 horas, a partir del mediodía de este domingo.
ReplyDeleteEta hizo que la actual temporada igualara el récord en cantidad de tormentas registradas en el mismo período de 2005.
El huracán Eta, que mantiene su categoría 4 con vientos de 230 kilómetros por hora, transita de manera paralela a la costa del Caribe norte de Nicaragua, dijo el director de Meteorología del Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (Ineter), Marcio Baca, en rueda de prensa.
ReplyDelete"Se ha movido paralelo a la costa del Caribe nicaragüense y su centro va prácticamente sobre la línea costera, por lo cual el ojo se observa de manera bastante difusa, lo que eliminaría las posibilidades de continuar el desarrollo del organismo tropical", señaló Baca.
El hecho de que la presión atmosférica en el centro de la tormenta muestre una tendencia a subir constituye un indicador de que el huracán no continuará su proceso de fortalecimiento, agregó.
Hurricane Eta brought torrential rain and high winds to Nicaragua as it made landfall in the Central American nation on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteTwo men were killed in when landslide buried the mine they were working in in Bonanza, on Nicaragua's north coast.
In neighbouring Honduras, a 13-year-old girl died in the city of San Pedro Sula when the wall of her home collapsed onto the bed where she was sleeping.
Eta has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
It first hit Nicaragua as a Category Four hurricane with winds of 140mph (225km/h) and torrential rains.
A total of seven people died in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras as a result of hurricane Eta, with emergency services warning citizens of ongoing flood danger, Nicaraguan broadcaster VOS TV reported on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteThe remnants of Hurricane Eta unleashed torrential rains and catastrophic flooding on Central America, with fatalities sharply up on Thursday mostly because of mudslides as streets turned into rivers and bridges came tumbling down.
ReplyDeleteMore than 70 people were reported killed across the region of mostly poor countries wedged between Mexico and Colombia, and at least hundreds were stranded on rooftops or cut off by floods.
At least 50 people have been killed by landslides in Guatemala after Storm Eta's torrential rain and high winds battered the Central American country.
ReplyDeleteGuatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said around half the deaths were in a single town where a hillside collapse buried some 20 houses under thick mud.
Eta made landfall in neighbouring Nicaragua as a hurricane on Tuesday.
It was later downgraded to a tropical storm.
Mr Giammattei said a month's worth of rain had fallen in less than half a day during an impromptu press conference on Thursday.
Ongoing heavy rain has left rescue workers unable to reach one of the worst-affected areas, including the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, which is home to half of the reported casualties.