1. Significant wind damage is expected along the coast of northeastern Nicaragua and also inland overnight.

2. A dangerous and life-threatening storm surge, along withdestructive waves, are expected along portions of the northeasterncoast of Nicaragua overnight. Water levels could reach as high as 5 to 10 feet above normal tide levels in some parts of the hurricanewarning area.

3. Through Friday evening, heavy rainfall from Eta will lead tocatastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and river floodingacross portions of Central America, along with landslides in areasof higher terrain. Flash and river flooding is also possible acrossJamaica, southeast Mexico, El Salvador, southern Haiti, and theCayman Islands.

4. Eta is forecast to regain tropical storm strength as it movesacross portions of Cuba and approaches southern Florida thisweekend. While it is too soon to determine the exact timing,magnitude, and location of possible impacts from wind and rainfall,interests in Cuba, southern Florida and the Florida Keys shouldmonitor the progress of Eta through the week.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
- The coast of Nicaragua from the Honduras/Nicaragua border to Sandy Bay Sirpi

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- The northeastern coast of Honduras from Punta Patuca to the Honduras/Nicaragua border
- The coast of Nicaragua from south of Sandy Bay Sirpi to Laguna de Perlas.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning.

Interests elsewhere in Nicaragua and Honduras should monitor the progress of this system.

For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.

Key messages for Eta can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT4 and WMO header WTNT44 KNHC.

WIND: Significant wind damage is expected within the Hurricane Warning area and also across inland areas of northeastern Nicaragua. Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Tropical Storm Warning area through tonight.

RAINFALL: Eta is expected to produce the following rainfall amounts through Sunday morning: Much of Nicaragua and Honduras: 15 to 25 inches (380 to 635 mm), isolated maximum totals of 40 inches (1000 mm) in northeast Nicaragua and eastern Honduras. Eastern Guatemala and Belize: 10 to 20 inches (255 to 510 mm), isolated amounts of 25 inches (635 mm). Portions of Panama and Costa Rica: 10 to 15 inches (255 to 380 mm), isolated amounts of 25 inches (635 mm). El Salvador and southeast Mexico: 5 to 10 inches (125 to 255 mm), isolated amounts of 15 inches (380 mm) Jamaica, Southern Haiti, the Cayman Islands: An additional 3 to 5 inches (75 to 125 mm), isolated storm totals of 15 inches (380 mm). This rainfall will lead to catastrophic, lifethreatening flash flooding and river flooding, along with landslides in areas of higher terrain of Central America. Flash flooding and river flooding will be possible across Jamaica, southeast Mexico, El Salvador, southern Haiti, and the Cayman Islands.

STORM SURGE: A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 5 to 10 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds along the coast of Nicaragua within the hurricane warning area, and 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels along the coast of Honduras within the tropical storm warning area. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

SURF: Swells generated by Eta are expected to affect portions of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause lifethreatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

At 1000 PM EST (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Eta was located near latitude 13.8 North, longitude 84.0 West. Eta is moving toward the west near 6 mph (9 km/h). A faster westnorthwestward motion is expected through early Thursday. A turn toward the north, and then northnortheast is forecast Thursday night and Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Eta is expected to move farther inland over northern Nicaragua through Wednesday morning, and then move across the central portions of Honduras through Thursday morning. The system is forecast to emerge over the northwestern Caribbean Sea Thursday night or Friday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 105 mph (165 km/h) with higher gusts. Rapid weakening will occur over the next couple of days as the center of Eta moves farther inland over Nicaragua and Honduras.

Hurricaneforce winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropicalstormforce winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km). During the past couple of hours, a sustained wind of 49 mph (79 km/h) and a gust to 72 (116 km/h) were measured at the Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, airport.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 970 mb (28.65 inches).

Satellite imagery and surface observation data indicate that Hurricane Eta has moved farther inland over northeastern Nicaragua this evening. Eta has maintained a well-defined CDO feature in infrared satellite data, although passive microwave imagery is no longer depicting an eye feature. A sustained wind of 93 kt (107 mph) with a gust to 117 kt (135 mph) was reported at the Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, airport around 03/2139 UTC while the eye of Eta was just inland. The initial intensity of 90 kt is based on a standard decay rate for inland tropical cyclones.

The initial motion estimate is 270/05 kt. The track forecast reasoning is fairly straightforward for the next 72 h. A narrow ridge to the north and northeast of the cyclone will cause Eta to gradually turn toward the west-northwest over the next 12 h, and maintain that motion through 48 h. In the 48-72 h period, Eta or its remnants are expected to turn northward and then northeastward, and emerge over the northwestern Caribbean Sea offshore the Yucatan Peninsula by 72 h. Thereafter, the forecast becomes more complex due to expected mid-latitude interaction with an upper-level trough/low currently over the southwestern U.S. that will be digging southeastward and amplifying over the Gulf of Mexico and as far south as the Yucatan by 96 h. The trough is expected to lift out Eta or its remnants northeastward across Cuba, then slow down and turn northward toward the southern Florida peninsula by 120 h when the cyclone will be interacting with an upper-level low over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Due to this complex mid-latitude low/trough interaction, the track forecast at days 4 and 5 contains some uncertainty. The new NHC track forecast is just a little to the left of the previous advisory track through 72 hours, but not as far west as the simple- and corrected-consensus models, and is very similar to the previous advisory track at 96 and 120 hours.

Similar to the track forecast, the intensity forecast is also straightforward through 72 h, which calls for Eta to rapidly weaken for the next 48 h so using a standard decay rate for inland tropical cyclones. By 72 h and beyond, the intensity forecast becomes a little more complicated due to the aforementioned mid-latitude trough interaction. The global models are still in fairly good agreement with the development of an anticyclonically curved upper-level jetstream across the northwestern Caribbean Sea, Cuba, and the Bahamas by 96 h. There are some subtropical jet dynamics already occurring across the northwestern Caribbean, which has helped to generate widespread convection across the region today. As the jetstream amplifies ahead of the vigorous upper-level trough, significant upper-level divergence is expected to develop, which will cause surface pressures to fall across the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Those strong pressure falls will likely aid in the redevelopment of Eta or generate a new tropical cyclone. Regardless of the exact formation, the global and regional models are all in good agreement on a tropical or subtropical cyclone developing and moving across Cuba and toward Florida on days 4 and 5. The new official intensity forecast is very similar to the previous intensity forecast through 72 hours, and then is slightly higher thereafter, but not as high as some of the intensity guidance like the HCCA and ICON consensus models.