Tropical Storm Eta ties record, expected to become hurricane

MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters expect newly formed Tropical Storm Eta to become a hurricane by Monday before hitting Nicaragua with drenching rains.

The system ties the record for the most named storms in an Atlantic hurricane season.

Eta had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour Sunday morning, the US National Hurricane Center said.

It was centred about 400 miles east of the Nicaragua-Honduras border and was heading westward at 15 miles per hour.

Forecasters expect Eta to become a hurricane by Monday and it was forecast on Tuesday to hit the Nicaraguan coast, where a hurricane warning was posted.

Forecasters said central and northern Nicaragua into much of Honduras could get 15 to 25 inches of rain, with 35 inches in isolated areas.

Heavy rains also are likely in eastern Guatemala, southern Belize, and Jamaica.

Eta is the 28th named Atlantic storm this season, tying the 2005 record for named storms.

However, this is the first time the Greek letter Eta is being used as a storm name because in 2005, after the season ended meteorologists went back and determined there was a storm that should have gotten a name, but didn’t.

Hurricane season still has a month to go, ending November 30.

And in 2005, Zeta formed at the end of December.

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