RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – As of 10 a.m. today, Hurricane Iota is a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph moving west at 12 mph.
According to the National Weather Service in Miami, Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua at 10:40 p.m. EST near the town of Haulover.
It made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph after completely devastating the Colombian Islands of San Andres and Providencia.
Before making landfall, Hurricane Iota did reach Category 5 hurricane strength with winds of 160 mph becoming the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Nicaragua was already pummeled by Hurricane Eta which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on November 3.
Iota made landfall 15 miles south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall.
Iota became the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Hurricane Season for the month of November.
It is the first Category 5 hurricane this year and hurricane season is over on November 30.
Iota is one of only two Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded in November. The other hurricane that reached Category 5 strength was the 1932 Cuba hurricane also known as the Hurricane of Santa Cruz del Sur from November 5-8, 1932.
Iota is the 30th named storm, 13th hurricane and 6th major hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
