Hurricane Iota is expected to hit Central America on today, Monday, bringing potentially catastrophic winds and life-threatening storm surge.
Iota’s arrival comes as the region is still recovering from Hurricane Eta, which made landfall earlier this month as a Category 4 storm.
Iota is currently making its way through the Caribbean Sea and is forecast to strengthen further and inundate the area beginning sometime today.
National Hurricane Centre forecaster Daniel Brown said “Heavy rainfall from Iota will likely lead to life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding across portions of northern Colombia and Central America.”
The National Hurricane Center also warned that dangerous wind, storm surge and rainfall could impact portions of Honduras and Nicaragua, with additional danger in parts of Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.
The agency issued a warning saying that Sunday was the last day coastal residents of Honduras and Nicaragua had to prepare for the “extremely dangerous situation” that Iota was creating.
The results could be devastating for a region that is still recovering from Eta, which has already led to the deaths of at least 150 people.
Honduras and Nicaragua could see flooding and mudslides compounded given Hurricane Eta’s recent impact on the region.
