Hurricane Iota made landfall in Central America

Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua in Central America night and has developed into a a category five storm. NHC notes that due to heavy rainfall associated with the storm, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding is expected across portions of Central America.

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Key-Points

Iota was spotted as a tropical depression last week in the Central Caribbean Sea by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The Atlantic Hurricane season runs from June to November and covers the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, while the Eastern Pacific Hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30.

Tropical cyclones or hurricanes use warm, moist air as fuel, and therefore form over warm ocean waters near the equator.

The tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or the eastern Pacific Ocean are called hurricanes and the ones that form in the Northwest Pacific are called typhoons. Tropical storms that form in the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea are called cyclones.

Hurricanes are categorised on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which rates them on a scale of 1 to 5 based on wind speed.

Hurricanes that reach category three or higher are called ‘major hurricanes’ because of their potential to cause devastating damage to life and property. Iota is a category five storm.