World

Tropical Storm Eta nears Central America — Will become hurricane

Published

November 1, 2020

As of the 10:00 a.m. EST advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Eta is about 226 miles (360 kilometers) northeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving to the west at 15 mph (24 kph). The storm is carrying maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) with higher gusts.

Eta’s present motion – with a little decrease in forward speed – is expected to last through the night on Sunday. A slower motion toward the west-southwest is forecast on Monday and Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of the storm is expected to be near the northeastern coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras by Tuesday morning.

Eta is forecast to intensify into a strong Category 1 hurricane late Monday as it approached Central America, specifically Honduras and Nicaragua, according to Weather.com.

Watches and Warnings as of 10:00 a.m. EST
The government of Nicaragua has issued a Hurricane Warning from the Honduras/Nicaragua border to Sandy Bay Sirpi, while the government of Honduras has issued a Tropical Storm Warning from Punta Patuca to the Honduras/Nicaragua border.

Sustained tropical storm force winds from Eta are likely to begin within the warning areas by Monday evening and Monday night. Heavy rains and gusty squalls could begin reaching the coast before that time.

NHC

Eta will pose some serious rainfall and flooding risks. Rainfall amounts in central and northern Nicaragua and into much of Honduras are forecast to be between 10 and 20 inches with isolated amounts of 35 inches.

Eastern Guatemala and southern Belize may see rainfall amounts of from 10 to 20 inches, with isolated amounts near 25 inches. Jamaica, as well as the Cayman Islands and the southern coast of Hispaniola, could see 5 to 10 inches of rain.

Again, storm surge with these storms is always a danger, with levels by as much as 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds along the coast of Nicaragua within the hurricane warning area, and 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels along the coast of Honduras within the tropical storm warning area.

It is too early to give a definitive forecast as to what will happen after Eta makes landfall – with two scenarios being possible. One, Eta could end up dissipating over Central America, and Two – Eta could move back over the Caribbean and this could lead to a reorganizing system over the northwest Caribbean late in the week ahead.

In this article:'2005 hurricane season, Central america, hurricane by Monday, ties for most named storms, Tropical Storm Eta

Written By Karen Graham

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.