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Tropical Storm Iota churned across the Caribbean Sea on Friday evening, becoming the 30th named storm of the record hurricane season of 2020.
The storm, which was moving west-southwest at three miles per hour by 4 p.m. Friday, is expected to strengthen steadily and gain speed over the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm could become a major hurricane – Category 3 or higher – within the next 36 hours as it approaches Central America, said Dennis Feltgen, spokesperson and meteorologist for the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Friday evening. It is expected to approach the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua on Sunday evening. Precipitation could reach up to 20 inches in northern parts of both countries.
The formation of Iota follows Subtropical Storm Theta and Hurricane Eta. Originating from deadly floods and landslides, Hurricane Eta struck parts of Central America when it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane.
This storm also hit Florida twice, leaving thousands of people without power and flooding streets and roads. Unlike Eta, Iota should not turn north to the United States, Feltgen said.
While scientists have not definitively said that global warming has led to more hurricanes, there is a consensus that climate change has altered the way hurricanes behave, making them more destructive.
Scientists expected an active hurricane season with up to 25 named storms. That expectation has now been exceeded, along with the record set in 2005, in which 28 storms were strong enough to be named.
After exhausting the list of 21 names compiled by the World Meteorological Organization for the hurricane season, meteorologists resorted to names from the Greek alphabet.
Mr Feltgen said that “2020 has all the right ingredients to be an exceptionally active season.”
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