Tropical Storm Otto in the southwest Caribbean has become the 7th hurricane of the 2016 season. Otto continues to strengthen with warm water and weak-to-moderate shear during the next couple of days.
- Otto impacting Central America
- No threat to Florida or the US
- Hurricane Center
Hurricane Otto is the latest hurricane formation on record in the Caribbean Sea, eclipsing the mark of Martha (1969) by about a day.
The storm is approximately 245 miles east of Limon, Costa Rica and is currently stationary over the southwest Caribbean. Hurricane Otto is expected to make landfall as a category one hurricane on Thursday.
A hurricane watch has been issued for Costa Rica and southern Nicaragua, with tropical storm warnings for parts of Panama. However, a hurricane warning will likely be issued tonight or tomorrow for portions of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Hurricane Otto is expected to make landfall somewhere along the coast near the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua Thursday afternoon.
Flooding rainfall is likely across portions of Central America this week, including parts of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. These rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.
After landfall, it's expected to move westward in the eastern Pacific Ocean at the end of the week. Stronger shear, as well as land interaction over Central America, will probably prevent Otto from re-strengthening over the Pacific.
Hurricane season officially ends November 30.
• What exactly are the spaghetti plots?
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Remember that the spaghetti model plot does not indicate the strength of a system or even development at all. It only predicts where this broad area of low pressure is expected to go.