Most alarming is that Hurricane Iota is headed on the same path as Eta and could become a catastrophic Category 5
Photo above from Planeta, Honduras, showing the aftermath of Hurricane Eta, Nov. 5, 2020
The following written content from Alfonso Flores Bermúdez, Allyson Waller and Neil Vigdor NY Times
Iota was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane early Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center said, warning that the storm was likely to bring catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge and extreme rainfall to Central America, an area still recovering from Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago.
The storm was 170 miles southeast of Cabo Gracias Dios on the border of Nicaragua and Honduras with maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Iota was forecast to make landfall in the area on Monday night.
A hurricane warning was in effect for several cities along the coast of both countries, where the storm was expected to produce up to 30 inches of rain in some areas through Friday. The intense rainfall could lead to significant flash flooding and mudslides in higher elevations, the center said.
The situation was strikingly familiar for residents in Central America, including Marina Rodríguez, whose home was washed away by Hurricane Eta, which also made landfall as a Category 4.
“I am afraid of the sea level,” Ms. Rodríguez said. “You can see the water coming up and up every minute, so I guess we will have to evacuate.”
Those in the path of Hurricane Iota, which became a hurricane on Sunday, were not the only ones comparing it to Hurricane Eta.
“It’s eerie that it’s similar in wind speed and also in the same area that Eta hit,” said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman and meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.
The storm’s impact will be felt “well before the center makes landfall,” Mr. Feltgen said.
Forecasters warned that damage from Hurricane Iota could compound the destruction caused by Hurricane Eta in Central America.
Read other severe weather news stories from News Without Politics
Subscribe to News Without Politics
