Hurricane Iota strengthens into Category 4 storm, forecast to bring extreme rain and life-threatening storm surge

Hurricane Iota marks the latest chapter in a devastating hurricane season for Central America.

Iota is headed toward Nicaragua and Honduras as a potentially catastrophic Category 4 storm and could become a Category 5 sometime on Monday. Iota is the 30th named storm of what’s been a memorable hurricane season.

Around 5 a.m., Iota was 25 miles northeast of Isla De Providencia, Colombia and moving west at 10 MPH. Evacuations are underway in low-lying areas as a Tuesday landfall is likely.

Iota rapidly intensified overnight as it was a Category 2 storm just before 11 p.m. EST. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm could bring potentially catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge and extreme rainfall.

Honduras was already hit by Hurricane Eta, which slammed the region as a

Many of the spaghetti models have the system making landfall Tuesday morning and continuing west into the Pacific Ocean. Iota is not expected to impact the United States.