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The calendar says it is mid-November, but the third storm of the month has formed and is already expected to cause significant problems in parts of Central America that have been devastated by Hurricane Eta last week.
Iota currently passes about 300 miles south of Jamaica as it moves west-southwest at 3 mph.
While the system is currently only a minimal tropical storm with winds of 40 mph, the NHC expects the storm to turn into a hurricane over the weekend.
“Environmental conditions of low vertical wind shear, warm sea surface temperatures and a humid atmosphere are favoring intensification over the next few days,” NHC said.
Iota will likely spend the next 24 hours consolidating and getting better organized, but once that happens a gradual to rapid strengthening is expected and “forecasts now predict that the system will become a major hurricane as we approach. the coast of Central America “. according to NHC.
A major hurricane is the last thing this part of the world needs, after Hurricane Eta hit Nicaragua in a Category 4 hurricane on November 3. The storm then crawled across Central America, dropping 25 to 30 inches – even 40 inches in some cases – of precipitation in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize.
While there is some uncertainty on the exact path Iota will take, it will likely move quite slowly as it impacts Central America early next week.
Regardless of the exact course, the NHC is already warning that the system “has the potential to produce 20 to 30 inches of rain with a focus over northern Nicaragua and Honduras.”
“These rains would cause flash floods and significant and potentially fatal flooding, as well as landslides in areas of higher ground,” they continued.
Central America devastated by Hurricane Eta
Eta’s true damage probably won’t be known for a while. But a severe storm combined with the worst pandemic in 100 years will likely be remembered as one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the region.
More than 3.6 million people in Central America have been affected to varying degrees, according to the Red Cross. “We are talking about a huge impact across the region,” said Santiago Luego of the Red Cross.
Even before the storm, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala had poor public health systems that struggled in the fight against Covid-19.
With thousands of shelters and hard-to-walk social distances, many fear Covid-19 will spread.
Local hospitals will now face the added burden of tackling other storm and flood related illnesses, from dengue fever to cholera to yellow fever.
CNN’s Matt Rivers and Natalie Gallon contributed to this report.
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