WEATHER ALERT
Tropical Tracker: Iota keeps record-breaking category 5 streak alive, season slowing down?
Read full article: Tropical Tracker: Iota keeps record-breaking category 5 streak alive, season slowing down?ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2020 hurricane season rages on with no signs of slowing down as we approach the official end in 11 days. Iota slammed into Nicaragua as a strong category 4 hurricane just two weeks after Eta, also a category 4 hurricane devastated the country. Iota continued the already record-breaking streak of consecutive seasons with at least one category 5 hurricane. With Iota becoming a category 5 hurricane, the record has been extended to five straight seasons with a category 5 storm. Hurricane season officially runs through Nov. 30, but the season could linger into December much like it did in 2005.
Iota’s devastation comes into focus in storm-weary Nicaragua
Read full article: Iota’s devastation comes into focus in storm-weary NicaraguaMen wade through a street flooded after the passing of Hurricane Iota in La Lima, Honduras, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Rescuers searched at the site of a landslide in northern Nicaragua, where the local government confirmed four deaths and neighbors spoke of at least 16. Iota arrived Monday evening with winds of 155 mph (250 kph), hitting nearly the same location as Hurricane Eta two weeks earlier. The hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30. ___Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman in Mexico City, Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.
Hurricane Iota roars onto Nicaragua as second major blow in 2 weeks
Read full article: Hurricane Iota roars onto Nicaragua as second major blow in 2 weeksMANAGUA – Hurricane Iota battered Nicaragua with screeching winds and pounding surf Tuesday, chasing tens of thousands of people from their homes along the same stretch of the Caribbean coast that was devastated by an equally powerful hurricane just two weeks ago. By Tuesday night, Iota had diminished to a tropical storm and was moving inland over northern Nicaragua and southern Honduras. Even before Iota hit Nicaragua, it scraped over the tiny Colombian island of Providencia, more than 155 miles (250 kilometers) off Nicaragua's coast. Iota developed later in the season than any other Category 5 storm on record, beating a Nov. 8, 1932, Cuba hurricane, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30.
Florida reports 10,105 new COVID-19 cases as spectators swarm Space Coast for crewed launch
Read full article: Florida reports 10,105 new COVID-19 cases as spectators swarm Space Coast for crewed launchORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A crippling pandemic didn’t stop history from being made on Florida’s Space Coast on Sunday. Back then, Brevard County had 420 total COVID-19 cases. Now, Brevard County has experienced more than 13,000 cases and 400-plus COVID-19 deaths. CasesThe Florida Department of Health reported 10,105 new cases on Sunday, bringing the state’s overall total to 885,201 cases since March. DeathsThe Florida Department of Health on Sunday reported 30 people have recently died from COVID-19.
US Hurricane Center says Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coast as dangerous Category 4 storm
Read full article: US Hurricane Center says Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coast as dangerous Category 4 stormMANAGUA – Powerful Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast late Monday, threatening catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by equally strong Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm early in the day, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it weakened slightly to Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph). Iota already had been hitting the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras with torrential rains and strong winds. Iota came ashore just 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm. It also sets the record for the latest Category 5 hurricane on record, beating the record set by the Nov. 8, 1932, Cuba Hurricane.
Cable failures endanger renowned Puerto Rico radio telescope
Read full article: Cable failures endanger renowned Puerto Rico radio telescopeFILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 file photo, provided by the Arecibo Observatory, shows the damage done by a broken cable that supported a metal platform, creating a 100-foot (30-meter) gash to the radio telescope's reflector dish in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It’s a blow for the telescope that more than 250 scientists around the world were using. The telescope was built in the 1960s and financed by the Defense Department amid a push to develop anti-ballistic missile defenses. Repairs from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, were still underway when the first cable snapped. The most recent damage was likely the result of the cable degrading over time and carrying extra weight after the auxiliary cable snapped, the university said.
Iota strengthens into 13th hurricane of the season
Read full article: Iota strengthens into 13th hurricane of the seasonORLANDO, Fla. – Early Sunday morning, Iota strengthened into a hurricane in the Caribbean becoming the 13th hurricane of the extremely busy Atlantic hurricane season. The record for most hurricanes in one season is 15, which was set in 2005 -- the only other season to have more than 12 hurricanes. As of the 7 a.m. advisory, Iota is an 85 mph storm moving west at 6 mph. The storm is expected to hit some of the same areas devastated by Hurricane Eta. Iota is the 30th named storm of the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season.
Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central America
Read full article: Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central AmericaIota became a Category 2 hurricane late Sunday afternoon, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would likely be an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm when it approached the Central America mainland late Monday. It was already a record-breaking system, being the 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 120 people as torrential rains caused flash floods and mudslides in parts of Central America and Mexico. Eta was the 28th named storm of this year’s hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. The official end of hurricane season is Nov. 30.
Sunshine dominates Saturday after foggy start
Read full article: Sunshine dominates Saturday after foggy startORLANDO, Fla. – Be on the lookout early for thick fog, especially northwest of Interstate 4. Sunshine takes over through the second half of the morning and dominates for most of Central Florida through Saturday afternoon. By Tuesday morning, most of Central Florida will wake up to temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Beach forecast:Beach forecastClouds will have a chance to linger along the coast, especially early. Theta and Iota remain in the Atlantic and further development is possible in the Caribbean next week.
Iota Dissipates Over Central America
Read full article: Iota Dissipates Over Central AmericaThe remnants are moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches). Portions of Nicaragua and El Salvador: 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm), with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches (150 mm). SURF: Swells generated by Iota will affect much of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next day or so.
TD 31 strengthens into Tropical Storm Iota in Caribbean
Read full article: TD 31 strengthens into Tropical Storm Iota in CaribbeanORLANDO, Fla. – Just as the remnants of Eta finally blew out to sea on Friday, Tropical Storm Iota could follow its path of death and destruction into Central America this weekend, and Tropical Storm Theta was moving closer to Europe. Iota is not expected to turn north toward Florida like its predecessor. Here is the 4 a.m. advisory and forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. For more head to https://t.co/El9j1kWdef pic.twitter.com/m7LzET5ZuP — Samara Cokinos (@CokinosSamaraWx) November 14, 2020The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Eta’s remnants would pick up forward speed in the next day or so as it pulls away from the Southeast seaboard. Latest models released on Tropical Storm Iota (WKMG)Earlier, firefighters in Tampa had to rescue around a dozen people who got stuck in storm surge flooding on a boulevard adjacent to the bay.