Hurricane Eta Ties Record as 12th Storm as It Slams Nicaragua

Hurricane Eta ties the record with the years 1969 and 2010 as the 12th storm experienced during the Atlantic hurricane season.

The storm reached parts of Central America on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

In 2005 there were 15 hurricanes, the most on record. 1969, 2010, and now 2020 are tied at 12, according to Philip Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University.

Winds reached 140 mph as Eta made landfall. The wind speed of the Category 4 storm reduced to half that amount by Wednesday.

The coast of Nicaragua and Honduras have been slammed with flash flooding and landslides. Over 85 tons of food was delivered to Puerto Cabezas in preparation for Eta.

There is one month remaining in the hurricane season this year. Researchers advise there is still time left in 2020 to break the 1969 and 2005 records. Klotzbach said:

The odds certainly favor another storm or two forming in November.

Although the storms this year have been widespread, they have not matched the ferocity of storms in the years past. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005.

Also, in 2005 eight storms were documented as a Category 3 or higher. Some areas are still trying to recover from the effects of these horrific storms.

Zeta, a Category 2 storm, claimed the lives of at least six people. It wreaked havoc on Georgia, Lousiana, Mississipi, the Carolinas, and Alabama on Oct. 28, 2020.

The National Hurricane Center incorrectly predicted fewer hurricanes this year. Rising ocean temperatures and warm water cause life-threatening storms.

Scientists agree there is a correlation between climate change, the intensity, and the number of hurricanes.

Hurrican Eta is moving slow and is expected to hit Cuba by the weekend and move over to the U.S. Golf Coast — particularly Florida.

Written by Sheree Bynum
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

The New York Times: Eta Strengthens to Hurricane Status and Takes Aim at Central America; Derrick Bryson Taylor

CNN: Hurricane Eta weakens to a tropical storm as it sets course toward US Gulf Coast after slamming Nicaragua; Madeline Holcombe, Brandon Miller

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