CENTRAL AMERICA - After Hurricane Eta made landfall on November 3, Central America braced for the arrival of Hurricane Iota, which hit November 17 in the evening. Iota brought with it heavy rain in the already hard-hit regions of Nicaragua and Honduras, making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Saffir-Simpson Scale near Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, hit 15 miles from where Eta did just weeks earlier.

According to an article from AccuWeather, this is the first time in nearly 50 years that back-to-back hurricanes have struck the region, and forecasters are now keeping an eye on another tropical storm brewing in the Caribbean that could eventually head for Central America.

Following the erratic and dangerous path that Eta took, turning north and making its way through the western Caribbean and eastern Gulf of Mexico, many have wondered if Iota will follow Eta’s lead. However, some experts are saying that high pressure across the southeastern U.S., Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico will keep the hurricane from redeveloping over the Carribean, and mountains across Central America will help disrupt the storm.

With both Eta and Iota rated a 5 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes—based on predicted disastrous flooding, rainfall, and storm surge along with the destructive winds, and the overall humanitarian crisis that is subsequently occurring in the region—the communities affected have been left vulnerable.

Additional flooding and mudslides on top of the already heavy downpours could slow recovery efforts and displace more communities in the area.

As of now, ground conditions in areas from southern Nicaragua to Costa Rica and even into Panama are still heavily saturated.

We have not yet received word on how this is affecting agricultural regions in these areas, but AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest updates.