Hurricane Eta is now Cat 3 heading for landfall in Nicaragua

[malaise]

See how fast that blew up




...ETA BECOMES A MAJOR HURRICANE...
...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, CATASTROPHIC WINDS, FLASH
FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
AMERICA...


SUMMARY OF 100 PM EST...1800 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...14.7N 82.0W
ABOUT 85 MI...135 KM E OF CABO GRACIAS A DIOS ON NIC/HON BORDER
ABOUT 105 MI...170 KM ENE OF PUERTO CABEZAS NICARAGUA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH...195 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 260 DEGREES AT 9 MPH...15 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...957 MB...28.26 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
* The coast of Nicaragua from the Honduras/Nicaragua border to
Sandy Bay Sirpi

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* The northeastern coast of Honduras from Punta Patuca to the
Honduras/Nicaragua border

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* The northeastern coast of Honduras from Punta Patuca to the
Honduras/Nicaragua border

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
* The northern coast of Honduras from west of Punta Patuca westward
to Punta Castilla

[rso]

1. Hurricane

The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is relatively unpopulated, but the structures that do exist are definitely not built to withstand a hurricane.

[malaise]

2. Now the strongest Atlantic hurricane in November in 12 years

Eta, the fifth major hurricane of 2020, is now the strongest Atlantic hurricane in November in 12 years, since Paloma in 2008, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/11/02/hurricane-eta-threatens-heavy-rain/6120135002/

[genxlib]

3. What an awful year

I have been tracking hurricanes for decades and I have never seen anything like this.

It seems like the predictions on strength have been consistently low this year. It seems like every storm has made landfall at about 20-40 mph stronger than they were projected to be 2-3 days earlier. Seems like they might have some climate change calibration to do to those models.

[genxlib]

4. I would also note

That it drifts back out into the gulf after day 5 so it could conceivably reform and head somewhere else.

[malaise]

5. I noticed that too - maybe Cayman,Cuba

Spot on re the season and the strength of these storms - the short time in which they jump from TS to hurricane and then to a major hurricane is also very disturbing. The water is way too warm.

[genxlib]

6. I track the strengths as closely as the paths

I do search and rescue work with FEMA so a strong storm making a US landfall could possibly send me on a mission.

Once my home in South Florida is no longer in the cone, the strength is really the primary thing of concern to me. Generally speaking, 100mph is the threshold that I look for because it warrants S&R and the local authorities can get overwhelmed. Below that wind speed, the damage is less and local response is generally adequate. It feels like I let my guard down for every storm this year only to find out that it was stronger at landfall.

[malaise]

8. I too worry about the strength

We've been so damn lucky again this year. Yes we're facing floods and lots of crop damage but all we've faced so far are outer bands.
Keep up the good work. This one has also slowed down a bit.

[lapfog_1]

7. hurricanes all year long

if we keep heating up the oceans