Hurricane Iota, the season’s 13th hurricane, is gaining strength and has the potential to become a devastating Category 5 hurricane ahead of its forecasted landfall in northeastern Central America, the National Hurricane Center said.
Iota, a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds at 155 mph as of 7 a.m., is forecast to make a catastrophic landfall along the coast of northeastern Nicaragua or eastern Honduras Monday night. Based on its 155 mph maximum sustained winds, Iota is now also “the strongest hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season,” according to the Weather Channel.
Iota is also "only (the) 2nd Atlantic hurricane to reach Category 4 intensity this late in the calendar year on record,” according to Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.
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