Iota is Anything But, Now Cat 5 and Getting Stronger

…CATEGORY 5 IOTA HEADED FOR NICARAGUA… …EXPECTED TO BRING CATASTROPHIC WINDS, LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL TO CENTRAL AMERICA…

Ironic Meaning of Iota

Iota is anything but. The word itself is synonymous with “bit, mite, speck, scrap, shred, ounce, scintilla, little bit, particle, smidgen, and tad.” Instead it’s a monster Category 5 hurricane with winds exceeding 160 mph. And the storm is still strengthening.

Iota is in the left of the image, halfway down.

How ironic! Iota is a very impressive hurricane, especially for this late in the year, with a distinct, warm eye on satellite images. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft found maximum flight-winds of about 147 kt and a central pressure of about 917 mb. 147 knots equals 169 mph.

And that makes Iota the latest category 5 on record for the Atlantic basin. A little more strengthening is possible today with fairly light shear and warm waters before Iota makes landfall tonight.

National Hurricane Center

Strike 2

Rapid weakening is anticipated over central America, and Iota should dissipate in a couple of days. The hurricane is moving westward at 9 kt. After landfall, the cyclone should move a little faster, and dissipate over the higher terrain of central America.

The new forecast is a little south of the previous one, mostly owing to the initial position.

This is a catastrophic situation unfolding for northeastern Nicaragua with an extreme storm surge of 15-20 ft forecast along with destructive winds and potentially 30 inches of rainfall. It is exacerbated by the fact that it should make landfall in almost the exact same location that category 4 Hurricane Eta did about two weeks ago.

Iota should strike the eastern coast of Nicaragua later today as a Category 5 hurricane.

Posted by Bob Rehak based on National Hurricane Center Data

1175 Days since Hurricane Harvey