Cat 5 Felix Slams Into Nicaragua
UPDATE: Here is our projected impact map for Felix as he moves through Central America:
ORIGINAL POST:
Hurricane Felix strengthened overnight and hit Nicaragua as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. It hit on the "Mosquito Coast"* north of Puerto Cabezas, which has the nearest official weather station, clocking winds sustained at 44 knots (51 mph) so far this morning (10 AM Eastern) as the storm powers inland (unfortunately they don't report gusts). It passed nearly directly over the large Cayos Miskitos island. Here's a screenshot from our Google Hurricane Tracker (PREMIUM | PRO):
AFP says that only 12,000 people were in the path of the storm but memories of Hurricane Mitch (which hit with slightly higher winds but killed 10,000 in flooding) caused evacuations and warnings over a larger area.
Felix marks the second Category 5 landfall this season, a new record according to television media.
The visible and Infrared satellites were impressive as he came onshore:
Here's a detail map from the CIA [PDF]:
*So named for the Miskito Indians, not the annoying pest, according to WikiPedia.
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