Hurricane Otto made landfall Thursday in Nicaragua as a category two storm with 110 mph winds and this morning emerged into the Pacific Ocean. This is the first storm since 1996 to move from the Atlantic Basin in tact and shift into the Pacific waters.
Tropical Storm #Otto Intermediate advisory 17A issued. Center of otto now over the eastern pacific ocean https://t.co/VqHn0uj6EM
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) November 25, 2016
Tropical Storm #Otto advisory 19 issued. #Otto moving toward the open eastern pacific waters. https://t.co/mbw53R5dme
— NHC E. Pacific Ops (@NHC_Pacific) November 25, 2016
Before Otto, only 4 storms since 1950 had made the transition from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Of those storms, Otto is the latest in the season to make the cross over from one tropical basin to the other.
4 TCs since 1950 have tracked from N Atlantic to NE Pac: Irene/Olivia ('71), Fifi/Orlene ('74), Joan/Miriam ('88), Cesar/Douglas ('96) #Otto pic.twitter.com/psgknFkhVV
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) November 24, 2016
Prior to the 2000 season, the tropical system names were changed to match the next on the list in each specific basin. Now the storm retain their original name from start to finish. The current path of Otto will continue to take the storm over the open waters of the Eastern Pacific.
Showers and storms will continue to move away from Central America as some well needed drying will begin by the weekend. Otto is expected to weaken next week and lose its tropical characteristics as it moves into the colder waters of the Pacific Ocean.
For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Mace Michaels