Catastrophic hurricane Iota in the Caribbean could become Category 5 storm

November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 WKXA

ABC NewsBy MAX GOLEMBO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A powerful cold front fueled by the jet stream moved through the Midwest and the Northeast Sunday and overnight producing winds gusts up to 80 mph and taking power out for at least 750,000 people.

The highest wind gust was in Ohio of up to 79 mph and in Cleveland, Hopkins Airport winds gusted to 71 mph which was the strongest wind gust in Cleveland since 2008. In the Northeast, winds gusted to 70 mph in Staten Island and 62 mph in LaGuardia with damage being reported throughout New York City’s tristate area.

Winds also gusted close to 70 mph in Rhode Island and Massachusetts with damage reported there as well.

On Monday, the cold front is gone but gusty winds in its wake will remain and some gusts Monday could reach near 40 mph.

Another thing people will notice behind this cold front is much colder temperatures and the coldest air of the season is expected for the Northeast over the next few days.

With gusty winds continuing for the next 48 hours, wind chills will be winter-like.

The coldest morning is expected to be Wednesday when it could feel like the upper teens in Boston, near 20 in New York City and in the mid to upper 20s in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

With the cold air moving over the relatively mild Great Lakes, lake effect snow is expected in western Pennsylvania and New York where locally half a foot of snow is possible over the next 48 hours.

Elsewhere, Iota is now a Category 4 hurricane with powerful winds of 145 mph.

Iota looks monstrous and it has developed a well-defined eye, something you don’t see very often.

The hurricane could strengthen even more Monday and get close to a Category 5 hurricane with winds near 155 mph.

Iota is forecast to make landfall in Nicaragua Monday night as a Category 4 or Category 5 hurricane with winds near 155 mph.

Don’t forget this is the same area that just got hit over a week ago by deadly floods and mudslides from Eta.

Tremendous amounts of rain are forecast once again for hard hit Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala over the next few days as rain could add up to 2 to 3 feet high.