It could even go up to category 4. "We're in danger if it keeps raining," Paisano Wood said. / CBS/AP. At 10 p.m., Hurricane Iota was centered about 30 miles south of Puerto Cabezas, and was churning west at 9 mph. Providencia is inhabited almost exclusively by the descendants of African slaves and British colonizers, who speak an English version of Creole as their native language. November 16, 2020 Heading to directly hit the Nicaraguan coast, Hurricane Iota strengthened this Sunday and its level is expected to increase even more. The storm made landfall near the town of Haulover at 10:40 p.m. EST with sustained winds near 155 mph, according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Video Transcript [AUDIO OUT] Latest Stories. Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua's coast late Monday, threatening significant damage to the same part of Central America already battered by Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Learn the facts and frequently asked questions about Hurricane Iota. Even before Iota hit Nicaragua, it scraped over the tiny Colombian island of Providencia, more than 155 miles off Nicaragua's coast. Iota will be the second major hurricane to hit the area in as many weeks. "This hurricane is definitely worse" than Eta, Jason Bermúdez, a university student from Bilwi, said as screeching winds preceded Iota's arrival. “Reconnaissance aircraft finds Iota has strengthened into the thirteenth hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season,” it tweeted. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iota could bring dangerous wind, storm surge and as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rainfall to … By Agency Report On Nov 16, 2020 11:34 AM. Iota became the 13th hurricane of the season, two shy of the record 15 set in 2005 but the record-breaking 30th named storm of this season. While Eta came up and hit the state of Florida twice, Iota is not expected to make its way to the U.S. Iota was still a tropical storm on Saturday, traveling west at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the hurricane center’s 10 p.m. advisory. But its slow speed shouldn’t be mistaken with weakness. Iota considered the strongest hurricane in history to hit Nicaragua, government says By Madeline Holcombe , Amir Vera , Eliott C. McLaughlin , CNN Updated 0320 GMT (1120 HKT) November 18, … … The island has no direct flights to the continent, but it has become an increasingly popular tourist destination thanks to its quiet beaches and rich marine life. "It's the first time that a category 5 Hurricane has reached our territory since records began," Duque said during a national press conference from the Colombian capital of Bogota. It’s the second major hurricane to hit the region in two weeks. Iota became a Category 2 hurricane late Sunday afternoon, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would likely be an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm when it approached the Central America mainland late Monday. Iota is also the first Category 5 storm of the hurricane season. SHARE. In her last communication with the mayor of the community of Villeda Morales late Monday, he told her Iota was hitting them hard and the community had not completely evacuated. The extent of the damage was unclear because much of the affected region was without electricity and phone and internet service and strong winds hampered radio transmissions. Maynor Valenzuela/Getty Images As much as 20 inches of rain are expected in Belize as Category 5 Hurricane Iota moves inland across Central America. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Hurricane Iota has made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm, with the Central American region bracing for the possibility of catastrophic damage. (CNN)Hurricane Iota has made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 major hurricane after pummeling the Colombian islands of San Andres and Providencia. Some were rescued by Nicaraguan authorities, she said. Dozens of people in the remote Guatemalan village of San Cristobal remain missing after a landslide swept through last week, leaving mud 50 feet deep in some places. Hurricane Warnings have … Swells will be felt from Central America to the Yucatan Peninsula, as far east as Jamaica and as far south as Colombia. Iota was still a tropical storm on Saturday, traveling west at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the hurricane center’s 10 p.m. advisory. Some 40,000 people in the area had moved to shelters from low-lying land beside rivers and the sea, but other people remained stranded near the border with Nicaragua. Iota made landfall just 15 miles (24km) south of where Eta hit on 3 November. SHARE. Iota developed later in the season than any other Category 5 storm on record, beating a November 8, 1932, Cuba hurricane, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The storm made landfall near the town of Haulover at 10:40 p.m. EST with sustained winds near 155 mph, according to an advisory from the … Iota is stronger, based on central pressure, than 2005′s Hurricane Katrina and is the first storm with a Greek alphabet name to hit Category 5, Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said. Total damage from the storm is estimated at US$1.4 billion. It became a dangerous Category 3 hurricane early Monday, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would probably reach Category 4 strength as it approached the Central America mainland late Monday. displaced thousands and left scores of people dead or missing. Storm hits Caribbean coast less than two weeks after Hurricane Eta carved a … A man uses a plastic bag for protection from the rain as he surveils an area of Barrio San Juan where evacuated families live in shelters ahead of Tropical Storm Iota on November 17, 2020, in La Lima, Honduras. Hurricane Iota comes just two weeks after another devastating storm, Eta, hit the Caribbean and travelled further into Central America. "There is no food. Hurricane Mitch was considered a rare event, but that is no longer the case with Eta and Iota. On Tuesday, Colombian officials said they were sending a ship with 15 tons of aid to the island. Record-breaking Iota became the Category 5 hurricane to develop in the Atlantic basin the latest in the year — November 16 — in any hurricane season on record since 1851. There were reports of others missing in the same area. It also sets the record for the latest Category 5 hurricane on record, beating the record set by the Nov. 8, 1932, Cuba Hurricane. "We are facing an issue with characteristics never before witnessed by our country.". Rainfall accumulations throughout Central America are expected to be high, with Honduras, northern Nicaragua, Guatemala and southern Belize seeing between 8 and 16 inches and isolated accumulations of 20 to 30 inches possible in northeast Nicaragua and northern Honduras, according to the advisory. Both tropical storms travelled in nearly the exact same path. What wind speed did Hurricane Eta have? The hurricane center said Iota was centered about 20 miles off Isla de Providencia, Colombia, and 145 miles southeast of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaragua-Honduras border, and moving westward at 10 mph. Hurricane "Iota" strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane -- peak winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) -- on November 16, 2020, as it was passing over the Colombian Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, making it the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season and the strongest-ever to hit Colombia. RELATED: Tropical Depression No. Hurricane Iota was the latest Atlantic hurricane to attain Category 5 intensity and only the second Category 5 Atlantic hurricane to occur within the month of November on record—the other being the 1932 Cuba hurricane. Nicaraguan Navy sailors help evacuate people from the Karata and Wawa Bar communities ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Iota in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua Sunday. Hurricane Iota tore across Nicaragua on Tuesday, hours after roaring ashore as a Category 4 storm along almost exactly the same stretch of the Caribbean coast that was recently devastated by an equally powerful hurricane. Hurricane Iota developed in the south-central Caribbean Sea on November 13 as a tropical depression. Hurricane "Iota" strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane -- peak winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) -- on November 16, 2020, as it was passing over the Colombian Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, making it the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season and the strongest-ever to hit Colombia. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, on Monday night that the hurricane makes landfall in northern Nicaragua. Iota is the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five – the last was in 1932. People try to recover belongings amid mud after the passage of Hurricane Eta as they prepare to evacuate the Omonita neighborhood in El Progreso, Yoro department, Honduras. Iota was the second hurricane to hit the North Caribbean of Nicaragua in the last 15 days. Iota is the record 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. Colombian President Ivan Duque said one person was killed and 98% of the island's infrastructure was "affected.". Iota became a hurricane early Sunday and rapidly gained power, and was expected to pass over or near Colombia's Providencia island during the night. The storm has weakened … Iota is now the strongest hurricane to hit Nicaragua in November on record. Freshman congressman who said 'it's time to fight' now condemns riot. "We are facing an incredible emergency," Wood said. Tropical Depression Iota developed into a category 4 hurricane while continuing its path through the Caribbean Sea towards the northeastern coast of Nicaragua and southeastern Honduras, where it is expected to hit in the afternoon or night on Monday. Hurricane Iota hits Colombia. First published on November 17, 2020 / 5:17 AM. "I lost everything, I couldn't take anything," Contreras said. As the storm moved westward, flooding became a top concern. More than 40,000 people were in shelters. Hurricane Iota A man walks among the debris of a wrecked house in the coast neighborhood of San Pedro after Hurricane Iota hit with hard winds on November 17, 2020, in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. Mirna Wood, vice president of the Miskito ethnic group in Honduras' far east Gracias a Dios region, was in Tegucigalpa collecting donations for her community ravaged by Eta when Iota hit. Iota comes after Hurricane Eta and Tropical Storm Theta. Update, 11:10 p.m. Monday — At 10:40 p.m., Hurricane Iota made landfall as a strong Category 4 about 30 miles south of Puerto Cabezas in northeastern Nicaragua packing … Such activity has focused attention on climate change, which scientists say is causing wetter, stronger and more destructive storms. Iota is expected to make landfall in nearly the exact same location where Hurricane Eta did about two weeks ago, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). "But my mom and my grandmother have some things, and that's why we're living here, to be closer to the house and keep them from stealing the few little things they have left.". “It is likely that the heavy rainfall from Iota, through Thursday, will lead to life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding in parts of northern Colombia and Central America,” the NHC warned. Hurricane Iota's landfall location is approximately 15 miles south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on November 3rd. It had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was spinning westward at 12 mph. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Some of the infrastructure partially damaged by Eta ended up succumbing to the force of Iota. Hurricane Iota powers up in new threat to Central America A fast-strengthening Hurricane Iota is sweeping over the western Caribbean and predicted to become a very … The official end of the hurricane season is November 30. Such high rainfall amounts will "lead to significant, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding, along with mudslides in areas of higher terrain," the advisory warned. On Monday, Wendy Guadalupe Contreras Paz, 34, was living under a tarp with her four children and seven other relatives along a main boulevard in La Lima. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Providencia, while San Andres is under a hurricane watch, the hurricane center said. The storm hovered for days over Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, with heavy rains creating flooding and landslides that wiped entire communities off the map. The system came ashore about 30 miles south of the Nicaraguan city of Puerto Cabezas, also known as Bilwi. This week it was inundated again as Hurricane Iota struck. CNN's Madeline Holcombe, Gene Norman and Robert Shackelford contributed to this report. November 13, 2020 at 9:12 p.m. UTC Tropical Storm Iota formed in the eastern Caribbean on Friday afternoon, set to become a powerful major hurricane and … The country reported 74 deaths and nearly 57,000 people in shelters, mostly in the north. Iota first impacted the islands of San Andres and Providencia, which have been part of Colombia for centuries, but are geographically closer to Central America than to the Colombian mainland. Iota became the 30th named storm in a record-breaking hurricane season after forming in the central Caribbean Sea Friday. Preliminary reports from the coast included toppled trees and electric poles and roofs stripped from homes and businesses, said Guillermo González, director of Nicaragua's emergency management agency. The torrential rains caused by Hurricane Iota in the Caribbean have caused disasters in several Colombian regions where thousands of people have been affected and on Sunday authorities were on alert in the Archipelago of San Andrés, which is … Duration: 01:03 16/11/2020. The storm has since weakened, and as of 9 p.m. CST Tuesday, Iota was packing only 40-mph winds about 25 miles south-southwest of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the National Hurricane … Hurricane Iota has made landfall in Nicaragua as a powerful, potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm. Hurricane Iota made landfall at 10:40 p.m. EST in Nicaragua, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, about 2 mph shy of Category 5 status. A day earlier, Iota intensified into a Category 5 storm, but it weakened as it neared the coast and made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. A dog eats from the rubble of houses destroyed by the passage of Hurricane Eta, in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, on November 15, 2020. Updated 0440 GMT (1240 HKT) November 17, 2020. Hurricane Iota made landfall at 10:40 p.m. EST in Nicaragua, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, about 2 mph shy of Category 5 status. 31 Forms in the Central Caribbean Sea While the full extent of the damage from Eta won't be known for a while, the powerful storm, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, may have effects that last for years. On November 3. Iota caused severe damage to areas of Central America already devastated by Hurricane Eta just less than two weeks prior. Eta triggered flash floods and mudslides in parts of Central America and Mexico and killed more than 130 people. It also sets the record for the latest Category 5 hurricane on record, beating the record set by the Nov. 8, 1 932, Cuba Hurricane. Yahoo News. The storm had maximum sustained winds, tightly … Where is Hurricane Iota expected to make landfall? Australia to kill pigeon that crossed Pacific Ocean from Oregon, Past COVID infection provides at least 5 months of immunity, study shows, Tower of London raven goes missing, feared dead, California Privacy/Information We Collect. Nicaragua's meteorology director, Marcio Baca, said areas where the soil was already saturated would receive 6 to 7 inches of additional rain. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Nicaragua's telecommunications ministry said phone and broadband provider Columbus Networks was offline because of flooding in Bilwi. The storm is still forecast to hit Central America as a hurricane. The hurricane was slow-moving, at around 6/7 mph. Iota hit Central America in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A slow-moving hurricane means that the impacts are felt over a longer period, usually leading to more destruction. Iota is projected to hit the Colombian island of Providencia by late Sunday and is expected to rapidly strengthen into a major hurricane as it approaches Central America. Aid agencies struggled to reach their local contacts, and the government said in a statement that at least 35 towns in the east and north had no phone service. Along Honduras' remote eastern coast Tuesday, people continued evacuating from damaged and flooding homes. The predicted storm surge along the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras will be accompanied by "large and destructive waves," along with swells that cause "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," according to the advisory. Hurricane Iota slammed ashore at 10:40 p.m. EST Monday just 15 miles from where Hurricane Eta made landfall on Nov. 3. Where did Hurricane Iota develop? Hurricane Iota is expected to strengthen in the Caribbean and slam into Central America early next week -- the very region already devastated by Hurricane Eta earlier this month -- forecasters say. © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Iota will be the second major hurricane to hit the area in as many weeks. "We will never forget this year," Bermúdez said. Hurricane Iota is now a hurricane, moving slowly west toward the same location Hurricane Eta hit November 3rd. Hurricane Iota made landfall Monday evening along northeastern Nicaragua. Iota is projected to hit the Colombian island of Providencia by late Sunday and is expected to rapidly strengthen into a major hurricane … Hurricane Iota is continuing to strengthen in the central Caribbean, well on its way to likely Category 3 or 4 strength. Updated on: November 17, 2020 / 7:40 PM Tropical Storm Iota forecast to hit Central America at or near major hurricane strength Another 30 inches of rain is expected for the region just hit by Eta. Duque said Monday at least one person is dead on Providencia and 90% of the island's infrastructure has been affected by Iota. Hurricane Iota comes just two weeks after another devastating storm, Eta, hit the Caribbean and travelled further into Central America. That was just 15 miles south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall November 3, also as a Category 4 storm. BACK TO QUESTIONS. It makes you want to cry. Local villagers carry a woman during an evacuation ahead of landfall of Hurricane Iota on November 16, 2020 in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. The major storm is forecast to hit Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala – areas still recovering from Category 4 Hurricane Eta. Costa Rica and Panama should also see about 4 to 8 inches, with up to 12 inches possible in some areas. Rep. 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