The late-season storm has killed at least three people in Panama. Meterologists also predicted it would be the first hurricane to make landfall in Costa Rica in fifty years.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Arangua
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Although it was the tail end of hurricane season, tropical storm Otto reached hurricane strength on Wednesday as it turned towards Central American. Officials in Panama said three of its citizens had been killed, at least two of those in mudslides caused by the pounding rain and wind speeds of 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour.
The US-based National Hurricane Center warned that the late-season tempest "will likely result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," and cautioned anyone living on the Atlantic coast of Central American that "life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions," should be expected.
Image: Reuters/NOAA
The meteorological experts said that they expect the storm to continuing gathering strength across the Caribbean, possibly coming ashore in Costa Rica and Nicaragua on Thursday. Should that be the case, it would be the first hurricane to make landfall in Costa Rica since reliable records began being kept in 1951.
Costa Rican authorities said they had evacuated around 4,000 people from coastal regions and near rivers in danger of overflowing.
"We will not allow people to remain in at-risk areas and loss of human life," said President Luis Guillermo Solis, who also warned about the affects on the country's key export of coffee.
Panama closed its schools and government buildings on Wednesday, while Nicaragua ordered evacuations and requested all of its civilian vessels at sea to return to port immediately.
This could be the worst storm the Caribbean has seen since Hurricane Matthew killed 546 people in Haiti in October.
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
Image: AFP/A. Beronio
Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
