Waves Pound Panama as Tropical Storm Otto Nears Caribbean Coast

According to the latest National Hurricane Center (NHC) advisory, Otto should regain hurricane strength prior to landfall, although this depends upon a number of varying factors. In addition, a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from north of Bluefields to Sandy Bay Sirpi, Nicaragua and San Andres. Otto was centered about 225 miles (360 kilometers) east of Limon, Costa Rica.

Tropical Storm Otto, packing sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, was some 250 miles offshore and moving very slowly, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin. Life-threatening high surf and rip currents will occur through at least Thursday along the Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

In Nicaragua, authorities now predict that the hurricane will enter between Monkey Point and San Juan de Nicaragua, sometime Thursday afternoon.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the hurricane had top sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour and was moving westward at 4 km/h, the USA hurricane centre said.

Tropical storm-force winds now extend up to 70 miles from the center of circulation, making Otto a small tropical cyclone.

The storm caused heavy rains in Panama as it moved off that nation’s northern coast.

Otto is expected to strengthen and pick up speed as it approaches the coast on Thursday.

A storm in the Caribbean has been upgraded to a hurricane and is threatening Costa Rica and southern Nicaragua, forecasters say. With it being so chilly, a tropical storm may be the last thing on your mind, right? Warm water and light wind shear helped Otto intensify.

Hurricane season officially ends on November 30, and while the month of November can have named storms, the season is generally winding down.

True the hurricane season runs officially until this coming November 30, but Otto is now the strongest cyclone to form this late in the season since Olga formed back in 2007.

Satellites are keeping track of late-season Tropical Storm Otto as it threatens Central America.