November 4, 2020 - Tropical Storm Eta

    Follow @NASA_MODIS

   Tropical Storm Eta
    Tweet
    Share

   The leading edge of the massive eyewall of Hurricane Eta was moving
   over the Nicaraguan coast on November 3, 2020, as the Moderate
   Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra
   satellite acquired this true-color image.

   According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), at 1:00 p.m. EST
   (1800 UTC) Eta was moving onshore along the coast of northeastern
   Nicaragua, bringing life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds,
   and flash flooding. At that time, the center of Hurricane Eta was 20
   miles (35 km) south southeast of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua as the storm
   packed 140 mph (220 mph) one-minute sustained winds. The makes
   Hurricane Eta a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind
   Scale at landfall. The NHC’s description of a Category 4 storm reads
   “Catastrophic damage will occur: Well-built framed homes can sustain
   severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some
   exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles
   downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas.
   Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will
   be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”

   At the 4:00 p.m. EST (2100 UTC) advisory, Eta continued to crawl over
   the coast, moving west only 5 mph (7 km/h). At that time, the storm’s
   center was 15 mi (25 km) south-southwest of Puerto Cabezas and had
   maintained Category 4 status. Early reports suggest that power outages
   are widespread, many electrical poles have fallen, widespread flooding,
   and some buildings had lost roofs in Puerto Cabezas. Flooding was also
   reported in Honduras and Costa Rica. An update by the NHC at 7:00 p.m.
   EST (0000 UTC) reports that maximum sustained winds had dropped to 110
   mph (175 km/h) as the storm’s center reached 25 mi (40 km) southwest of
   Puerto Cabezas. 100 mph (175 km) brings it to a strong Category 2
   storm.

   Hurricane Eta is expected to weaken as it moves westward or
   north-westward through the morning of November 5, crossing central
   Honduras. After that time, Eta should make a turn to the
   north-northeast to emerge over the northwestern Caribbean Sea by
   November 6. As it continues to move to the northeast, Eta is forecast
   to regain tropical storm strength as it passes over Cuba and approaches
   southern Florida on November 7-8.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 11/3/2020
   Resolutions:  1km (498.3 KB),  500m (1.5 MB),  250m (4.4 MB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2020-11-04
 
