000 WTNT31 KNHC 240535 TCPAT1 BULLETIN HURRICANE OTTO INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 13A NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL162016 100 AM EST THU NOV 24 2016 ...OTTO BRINGING FLOODING RAINS TO COSTA RICA AND NICARAGUA AS IT CONTINUES WESTWARD... SUMMARY OF 100 AM EST...0600 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...11.2N 82.4W ABOUT 90 MI...150 KM NNE OF LIMON COSTA RICA ABOUT 110 MI...175 KM ESE OF BLUEFIELDS NICARAGUA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...85 MPH...140 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 270 DEGREES AT 9 MPH...15 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...981 MB...28.97 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: None. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Limon Costa Rica to Bluefields Nicaragua A Hurricane Watch is in effect for... * North of Bluefields to Sandy Bay Sirpi Nicaragua * South of Limon to the Costa Rica/Panama border A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * North of Bluefields to Sandy Bay Sirpi Nicaragua * San Andres * Puntarenas Costa Rica to Puerto Sandino Nicaragua A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. Interests elsewhere in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Providencia Island should monitor the progress of Otto. For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service. DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK ------------------------------ At 100 AM EST (0600 UTC), the center of Hurricane Otto was located near latitude 11.2 North, longitude 82.4 West. Otto is moving toward the west near 9 mph (15 km/h), and this general motion is forecast to continue for the next couple of days with an increase in forward speed expected later today. On the forecast track, the center of Otto will move onshore within the hurricane warning area later today, and reach the Pacific coast of southern Nicaragua or northern Costa Rica early Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph (140 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible before landfall, with weakening expected as the cyclone crosses southern Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles (20 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 981 mb (28.97 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- RAINFALL: Total rainfall of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated amounts of 15 to 20 inches, can be expected across northern Costa Rica and southern Nicaragua through today. These rains will likely result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Outer rain bands from Otto are expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over San Andres and Providencia islands, and the higher terrain of central and western Panama and southern Costa Rica through this morning. WIND: Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area today, with tropical storm conditions expected to begin in the next few hours. Hurricane conditions are possible in the hurricane watch area today. Tropical storm conditions are expected on San Andres overnight. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua today. Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area along the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua by tonight. STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and large and destructive waves could raise water levels by as much 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow within the hurricane warning area. SURF: Swells generated by Otto are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions over the next several days along the coasts of Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Please consult products from your local weather office. NEXT ADVISORY ------------- Next complete advisory at 400 AM EST. $$ Forecaster Brennan</s>Tropical storm Otto, located about 335 miles (545 km) east-southeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua, is now near hurricane strength, the U.S.-based National Hurricane Center said in its latest update on Tuesday.

The storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and is likely to intensify into a hurricane by Wednesday, the Miami-based agency said.</s>The center of the Category 1 storm is more than 100 miles north of Panama City but outer bands of rain are expected to bring 4 to 8 inches to Panama and southern Costa Rica through Wednesday.

Additional strengthening is expected, and Otto could become a Category 2 storm before making landfall near the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border on Thursday.

While the Caribbean is one of the few areas with warm enough water to support a hurricane this late in the season, a storm making landfall this far south is extremely rare

This portion of Central America is unaccustomed to hurricane landfalls. It also has steep terrain, which makes the area prone to flooding and landslides from a slow-moving storm like Otto.

Otto formed in the southern Caribbean early this week as the US National Hurricane Center closely monitored the area. The storm has steadily strengthened and on Tuesday afternoon became the seventh hurricane of the season in the Atlantic basin. Otto is developing later in the season than any Atlantic basin hurricane since Hurricane Epsilon in 2005. It is the latest hurricane to form in the Caribbean, supplanting Hurricane Martha of 1969 in the record book. Otto is expected to be the southernmost hurricane landfall since Irene hit Nicaragua in 1971. If it makes landfall in Nicaragua it will be the first hurricane to do so since Ida in 2009. And most impressively, if Otto makes landfall in Costa Rica, it will be that country's first hurricane landfall in recorded history (since 1851). Track the latest weather story and share your comments with CNN Weather on Facebook and Twitter. Hurricane season officially ends on November 30, and while the month of November can have named storms, the season is generally winding down. Impactful storms are infrequent occurrences, especially this late in November.</s>Storm Otto became a hurricane off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua on Tuesday, the U.S.-based National Hurricane Center said, with additional strengthening expected over the next couple of days.

Otto was 305 miles (491 km) east-southeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua, at around 1600 EST, the NHC said.

The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) and is expected to approach the coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua on Thursday, the Miami-based agency said.</s>The Latest on tropical weather in the Caribbean (all times local):

Late-season Hurricane Otto is crawling westward toward Central America's Caribbean coast with little change in strength.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Otto is now about 230 miles (370 ) east of Limon, Costa Rica and moving to the west at 2 mph (4 kph).

Forecasters say the hurricane has top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and should gain more strength in coming days until landfall.

Forecasters say Otto has gained hurricane status in the Carribbean as it edges closer to parts of Central America.

The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center says Otto strengthened Tuesday and now has top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The forecasters say the storm is about 235 miles (375 ) east of Limon, Costa Rica.

Otto is also about 305 miles (485 ) east-southeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It is moving west at 2 mph (4 kph) after being almost stationary earlier Tuesday.

The hurricane says Colombia has issued a tropical storm warning for San Andres Island. Nicaragua has posted a tropical storm watch for that Central American nation from Bluefields to Sandy Bay Sirpi. Some other areas in the region also under a tropical storm watch or warning.

Civil officials in Panama say the country has already seen three deaths blamed on late-season Tropical Storm Otto.

The agency says two people died in landslides, and a child was killed when a tree fell on a car outside a school in Panama City.

Panama announced Tuesday it was cancelling classes it began to release water from locks and lakes feeding the Panama Canal.

Otto is gained strength in the Caribbean and could become a hurricane soon as it heads for a possible Thursday landfall in Costa Rica or Nicaragua.</s>PANAMA CITY — Late-season storm Otto strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday as civil officials reported three deaths in Panama amid heavy rain and Costa Rica ordered the evacuation of 4,000 people from its Caribbean coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Otto was likely to gain strength as it headed for an expected Thursday afternoon landfall around the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border. It could become the first hurricane to make landfall in Costa Rica since reliable record-keeping began in 1851.

The storm caused heavy rains in Panama as it moved off that nation's northern coast, and officials blamed Otto for three deaths.

Jose Donderis, Panama's civil director, said a landslide just west of Panama City early Tuesday trapped nine people. Seven were rescued but two were pulled from the mud dead. In the capital, a child was killed when a tree fell on a car outside a school.

The country "faces one of the worst meteorological situations, with imminent risk," Donderis said.

Panama announced it was cancelling classes and it began to release water from locks and lakes feeding the Panama Canal.

Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission said it was evacuating 4,000 people from the area where the storm was expected to hit and where rivers could overflow. The effort was expected to involve evacuations by plane, boat and road in the low-lying coastal areas.

Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said Otto could damage the country's important coffee and agriculture sectors.

Early Tuesday evening, the hurricane had top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving westward at 2 mph (4 kph), the U.S. hurricane said. Otto was about 230 miles (370 ) east of Limon, Costa Rica.</s>Forecasters say Otto has gained hurricane status in the Caribbean as it edges closer to parts of Central America.

The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center says Otto strengthened Tuesday and now has top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The forecasters say the storm is centered about 235 miles (375 kilometers) east of Limon, Costa Rica.

Otto is also about 305 miles (485 kilometers) east-southeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It is moving west at 2 mph (4 kph) after being almost stationary earlier Tuesday.

The hurricane center says Colombia has issued a tropical storm warning for San Andres Island. Nicaragua has posted a tropical storm watch for that Central American nation from Bluefields to Sandy Bay Sirpi. Some other areas in the region also under a tropical storm watch or warning.

Forecasters say more strengthening is expected in coming days.

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By: Bob Henson and Jeff Masters , 5:14 PM GMT on November 22, 2016 From Weather Underground

One of the strongest tropical cyclones on record so far south in the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Otto, was on the verge of becoming a hurricane Tuesday morning. In its 10 AM EST advisory, the National Hurricane Center pegged Otto’s top sustained winds at 70 mph, just short of the hurricane threshold. Otto was christened on November 21, an unusually late for a Caribbean tropical storm; only eleven Caribbean storms since 1851 have had a later formation date.

Still holding stationary less than 100 miles north of the coast of Panama on Tuesday morning, Otto is expected to begin moving west on Wednesday. The storm will likely make landfall as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane on the coast of southern Nicaragua or northern Costa Rica on Thursday. A hurricane watch extends along the entire Caribbean coast of Costa Rica northward to south of Bluefields, Nicaragua. A tropical storm warning is in effect along the central coast of Panama from Nargana to Colon, with a tropical storm watch westward to the border of Costa Rica. These are startling locations for tropical cyclone advisories–understandably so. A storm of Otto’s expected strength has never made landfall so far south in the Caribbean, and there is no record of any hurricane striking Costa Rica.

Over the past day or so, Otto has largely shaken off the elongating influence of the frontal zone on which it developed, which extends far to the northeast into the Atlantic. Showers and thunderstorms have become stronger and much more symmetric around Otto’s center since Monday night. The storm remains quite compact, with tropical storm force winds extending out to only 70 miles from the center. That small size is both good news and bad news, as it will allow Otto to either intensify or weaken more quickly than a larger storm would. Otto will be moving through a very concave section of the Central American coast, and the rugged topography may help impart some extra spin to Otto’s circulation as the storm gradually enlarges.



 Otto is in a very favorable spot to intensify. Sea surface temperatures remain unusually warm for this time of year–around 29°C (84°F), or about 1°C above the seasonal average. The atmosphere will be moistening over time, with the 12Z Tuesday SHIPS model predicting that mid-level relative humidities around Otto will increase from about 60% to greater than 70%. The main negative factor for Otto is vertical wind shear of 15 – 20 knots resulting from upper-level southeasterly winds blowing over the storm as it sits and spins. However, that shear may abate slightly on Wednesday and Thursday, and it is not enough in itself to keep Otto from intensifying. Otto should reach Central America as at least a Category 1 hurricane, and Category 2 or even higher strength cannot be ruled out. The most reliable intensity model for existing tropical cyclones, the HWRF, has consistently projected that Otto will become a solid Category 2 storm. The SHIPS model gives Otto a 30% chance of reaching top sustained winds of 90 knots (105 mph) by Tuesday morning, and an 18% chance of reaching 115 knots (135 mph, minimal Category 4 strength) by Wednesday morning.

No storm ever observed in the Atlantic, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, is known to have attained a strength of Category 2 or higher after November 20. See below for more details on late-season Atlantic climatology.

Otto’s track: Central America, and perhaps the East Pacific 

 Stubbornly stationary Otto began to show signs at midday Tuesday of a long-awaited westward movement. Our most reliable track models–the European, GFS, and UKMET–are now consistent in bringing Otto onshore across southern Nicaragua or northern Costa Rica on Thursday. It should take about a day for Otto to cross southern Nicaragua, which is much less mountainous than other parts of Central America. In fact, much of Otto’s path could be over Lake Nicaragua, one of the top-ten biggest freshwater lakes in the Americas. With land influence at a relative minimum, Otto has a shot at retaining its identity as a tropical cyclone when it enters the Pacific on Friday. In this case, Otto would keep its name in the Pacific. Should Otto dissipate, but its remnants manage to redevelop in the Pacific, the new storm will take the name Virgil from the Eastern Pacific list.

More than a dozen “crossover” tropical cyclones have been recorded, most of them moving from Atlantic to Pacific rather than vice versa. The most recent was Hermine (2010), which formed as an East Pacific tropical depression before entering the western Gulf and striking the northeast coast of Mexico as a tropical storm. Otto would be the first crossover storm in modern records to keep its name in going from one basin to another, since NHC’s previous practice was to rename such systems. All of Otto’s predecessors in this realm–includingHurricane Cesar-Douglas (1996)–underwent a name change when moving from Atlantic to Pacific or vice versa.



 Otto is likely to bring torrential rains, landslides, and flooding to parts of Central America. The region’s complex topography may lead to several widely dispersed areas of extremely heavy rain. The most straightforward part of the outlook is for several inches of rain over nearly all of Nicaragua, with a core of 10” – 15” amounts very possible just north of Otto’s circulation as it makes landfall and moves inland. The broad circulation enveloping Otto has been impinging on parts of Costa Rica and Panama, a process leading to very heavy rain that could go well beyond 15” in some areas, especially western Panama. Another narrow zone of torrential rain (again, 15” or more possible) is projected by models to develop later this week as Otto’s outer circulation moves along the north coast of Honduras, perhaps extending into far southern Belize and extreme eastern Guatemala.



 Since the active hurricane period we are in began in 1995 (including 2016), 13 of the 21 years (62%) have seen one or more Atlantic named storms form after November 1, for a total of eighteen November/December storms:

2016: Tropical Storm Otto on November 21

 2015: Hurricane Kate on November 8

 2011: Tropical Storm Sean on November 8

 2009: Hurricane Ida on November 4

 2008: Hurricane Paloma on November 6

 2007: Tropical Storm Olga on December 11

 2005: the “Greek” storms Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta

 2004: Tropical Storm Otto on November 29

 2003: Odette and Peter in December

 2001: Hurricane Noel on November 5 and Hurricane Olga on November 24

 1999: Hurricane Lenny on November 14

 1998: Hurricane Nicole on November 24

 1996: Hurricane Marco on November 19

Only three of these storms caused loss of life: Hurricane Ida of 2009, which killed one boater on the Mississippi River; Tropical Storm Odette of 2007, whose floods killed eight people in the Dominican Republic; and Hurricane Lenny of 1999, which killed fifteen people in the Lesser Antilles. “Wrong-way Lenny” was the second deadliest and the second strongest November hurricane on record (Category 4, 155 mph winds).

There have been only seven major Category 3 or stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic after November 1. Part of the reason for the relatively low loss of life for November storms is that they tend to form from extratropical low pressure systems that get cut off from the jet stream and linger over the warm waters of the subtropical Atlantic. These type of systems typically get their start in the middle Atlantic, far from land, and end up recurving northeastwards out to sea. Tropical Storm Sean of 2011 was an example of this type of storm. However, as noted in the wake of Hurricane Tomas of November 2010 in our blog post, Deadly late-season Atlantic hurricanes growing more frequent, “It used to be that late-season hurricanes were a relative rarity–in the 140-year period from 1851 – 1990, only 30 hurricanes existed in the Atlantic on or after November 1, an average of one late-season hurricane every five years. Only four major Category 3 or stronger late-season hurricanes occurred in those 140 years, and only three Caribbean hurricanes. But in the past twenty years, late-season hurricanes have become 3.5 times more frequent–there have been fifteen late-season hurricanes, and five of those occurred in the Caribbean. Three of these were major hurricanes, and were the three strongest late-season hurricanes on record”. Dr. Jim Kossin of the University of Wisconsin published a 2008 paper in Geophysical Research Letters titled, “Is the North Atlantic hurricane season getting longer?” He concluded that yes, there is an “apparent tendency toward more common early- and late-season storms that correlates with warming sea surface temperature but the uncertainty in these relationships is high”. The recent increase in powerful and deadly November hurricanes would seem to support this conclusion.

We’ll be back with an update on Wednesday and will be tracking Otto throughout the Thanksgiving holiday period.

Figure 2. Enhanced infrared image of Otto as of 1545Z (10:45 AM EST) Tuesday, November 22, 2016. Image credit:NASA/MSFC Earth Science Office.

Figure 3. Track forecast for Otto as of 10 AM EST Tuesday, November 22, 2016.

Figure 4. Total rainfall for the 150-hour period ending at 7:00 AM EST Sunday, November 27, 2016, projected by the 06Z Tuesday run of the GFS model. Image credit: tropicaltidbits.com.

Figure 5. The second strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic in November, Hurricane Lenny, takes aim at the Lesser Antilles on November 17, 1999. Image credit: NOAA. (Thanks go to WU member elioe for pointing out that the November 1932 Cuba hurricane, which peaked at 170 mph winds, was the strongest and deadliest hurricane to occur in November.)

For more on this story go to: https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3510</s>President Luis Guillermo Solís called for a voluntary evacuation of residents of the Caribbean region who are currently facing heavy rains and flooding. The situation likely will worsen starting Wednesday when experts forecast tropical storm Otto will grow into a category 1 hurricane.

The situation prompted the government to decree a Yellow — Preventive— Alert throughout the country. The alert means that emergency agencies expect effects of the tropical storm to reach most of Costa Rica.

“We hope that those who are able to evacuate will do so as soon as possible,” Solís said and added that overflowing rivers, landslides on roads and harsh weather conditions are preventing authorities from reaching many of the affected locations. “Not even by helicopter, as current weather conditions prevent them from taking off,” he said.

President Solís addressed his warning primarily to Caribbean residents in Limón, Moín, Playa Bonita, Doce Millas, Tortuguero and Parismina. The coastal communities are facing heavy rains and also waves up to 10 feet expected to last throughout the week.

Solís said he will send National Police officers to prevent the evacuation from resulting in acts of vandalism or burglaries on empty properties.

The government also confirmed that the Public Education Ministry ordered that classes be cancelled at 107 schools in Limón province, at Sarapiquí in Heredia and in various communities of Cartago.

Intense rains since the weekend caused flooding in 1,183 homes and forced the National Emergency Commision (CNE) to open five shelters to relocate 370 people in the southern Pacific region and one in the San José canton of Curridabat for 18 evacuees.

On Monday evening, emergency agencies also evacuated 214 people in the Caribbean canton of Matina, prompted mostly by overflowing rivers. The CNE reported a total of 135 communities affected by rains, 99 of them in the southern Pacific, where 17 are isolated by floods and landslides.

The agency also reported damage and blockades along several roads in the southern Pacific, including Route 2 between Buenos Aires and Palmar Sur, Route 245 at Puerto Jiménez, Route 238 from Golfito to Conte, and Route 608 between Laurel and Coto 47.

There are also reports of damage on Route 218 between Llano Grande and Rancho Redondo in Cartago. In the province of Alajuela, the CNE reported damage on the road to Vara Blanca between Zarcero to Ciudad Quesada and in Bajos del Toro from Valverde Vega to Río Cuarto.

Government officials and emergency agencies will resume meetings on Tuesday to assess the evolution of tropical storm Otto.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center on Monday reported that tropical storm Otto was located in the Caribbean some 440 kilometers northeast of Puerto Limón and will become a hurricane on Wednesday afternoon. National Metereological Institute (IMN) director Werner Stolz said Otto was moving slowly on Monday evening as a cold front influencing local weather was preventing it from moving into Costa Rican territory.

IMN forecasts state that rainfall levels on Wednesday and Thursday will reach some 100 liters per square meter in the Caribbean and the northern regions. Cumulative rainfall in the southern Pacific region could range between 60 and 120 liters per square meter.

Meteorologists also warned of strong winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, mainly in the high areas of the Central Valley and the Northern Zone. The cold front will leave Costa Rica on Tuesday when Otto is expected to enter territories near Bluefields on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.

The IMN forecasts Otto will then begin losing its strength and will most likely become a tropical depression on Friday.</s>Hurricane season officially ends on November 30, and while the month of November can have named storms, the season is generally winding down. Impactful storms are infrequent occurrences, especially this late in November.

Otto formed in the southern Caribbean early this week as the National Hurricane Center closely monitored the area. The storm has steadily strengthened and on Tuesday afternoon became the 7th hurricane of the season in the Atlantic basin. Otto is developing later in the season than any Atlantic basin hurricane since Hurricane Epsilon in 2005.

Additional strengthening is expected, and Otto could become a category 2 storm before making landfall near the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border on Thursday. While the Caribbean is one of the few areas with warm enough water to support a hurricane this late in the season, a storm making landfall this far south is extremely rare.

Otto is expected to be the southernmost hurricane landfall since Irene hit Nicaragua in 1971. If it makes landfall in Nicaragua it will be the first hurricane to do so since Ida in 2009. And most impressively, if Otto makes landfall in Costa Rica, it will be that country's first hurricane landfall in recorded history (since 1851). Track the latest weather story and share your comments with CNN Weather on Facebook and Twitter. This portion of Central America is unaccustomed to hurricane landfalls. It also has steep terrain, which makes the area prone to flooding and landslides from a slow-moving storm.</s>PANAMA CITY: Panama needs to immediately boost transparency and regulation of its financial sector to shake off its reputation — deepened by the “Panama Papers” scandal — of being a hub for tax evasion, a report released Monday said.

“Decisions, investment, legislation and a high degree of commitment by the authorities and regulatory bodies of Panama” are needed to keep Panama off lists that would punish it as a designated tax or money-laundering haven, the report by the government-appointed international Committee of Independent Experts said.

Automatic sharing of tax information and holding lawyers to higher standards were among its key recommendations.

“The moment has come. The country can no longer postpone decision-making in this field,” it said.

The panel was established by Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela in April, days after the “Panama Papers” revelations showed how a law firm in the Central American nation set up companies to help the world’s wealthy shield their assets from scrutiny.

It was seen as an effort by Varela to limit the damage from the scandal, which sparked tax probes in several countries around the world, protests that led to the resignation of Iceland’s prime minister, and prompted France to put Panama back on its blacklist of uncooperative tax havens.

Transparency International, a corruption watchdog, said the experts’ report “does not go far enough.”

It tweeted a reaction from its international advocacy coordinator, Max Heywood, saying: “Unless Panama decides to join the handful of countries that have committed to creating a public register that names the real owners of all corporations and trusts, the criminals will continue to win the fight against corruption.”

Panama’s services sector accounts for 83 percent of its economy, which is rated a “star growth performer” in Latin America by the International Monetary Fund.

The seven-member Committee of Independent Experts was initially headed by Nobel-winning US economist Joseph Stiglitz. But he and a Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth resigned in August, saying Varela’s government was curbing their independence in making the panel’s findings public.

They released their own report which called on the United States and Europe to lead a global fight against financial centers seen to be lax in cracking down on financial corruption and tax dodging.

Since the “Panama Papers,” Panama has declared itself committed to reforms to protect its financial activities. It notably signed an agreement last month with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development for the multilateral exchange of tax information.

Varela last week warned France of “diplomatic measures” from January 2017 if it kept Panama on its blacklist. Panama’s parliament has already approved a law that, if approved by Varela, would impose tax and migratory penalties on France.

European Union finance ministers in early November met to discuss drawing up a list of countries deemed to be uncooperative in sharing tax information.

“It’s a big step towards an international blacklist” that could emerge by the end of 2017, Slovakian Finance Minister Peter Kazimir said at the time. AFP
Hurricane Otto impacts Panama. A tropical storm watch is issued for Nicaragua from Bluefields to Sandy Bay Sirpi.