“Rapidly Intensifying” Hurricane Iota Set To Slam Central America 

Iota strengthened to a hurricane Sunday over the southwestern Caribbean Sea, expected to “bring potentially catastrophic winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and rainfall impacts to Central America,” reported the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

#Hurricane #Iota is expected to become an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane tomorrow and make landfall in NE Nicaragua or E Honduras. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion in the Hurricane Warning areas. More: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/mK7SpNo0IF

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) November 15, 2020

NHC’s 1000 ET Sunday update outlined how Iota is “rapidly intensifying” as it could be an extremely dangerous category 4 near the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras.” 

The current landfall forecast says tropical conditions will arrive on the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua by Monday morning. “This is an extremely dangerous situation with Iota expected to be category 4 at landfall!” NHC warned. 

Earliest Reasonable Arrive Time Of Tropical-Storm-Force Winds

Wind Speed Probabilities 

Hurricane Warning For Much Of Nicaragua and Honduras Coastline

Hurricane Model 

We explained on Saturday Iota would become a “major hurricane.” Weather models are forecasting the storm could dump 8 to 30 inches of rain on Honduras, northern Nicaragua, eastern Guatemala, and southern Belize by early next week. 

In early November, Hurricane Eta battered the region (read: here & here), destroying upwards of 10% of the coffee crop in Central America, with Iota likely to push up the percentage to 25%.