The hurricane, which weakened rapidly after hitting the southeastern coast of Nicaragua, became a tropical storm by early Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, as dangerous flooding continued in both countries. MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Hurricane Otto made landfall as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane on a sparsely populated stretch of Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast Thursday, becoming the southernmost hurricane on record to hit Central America. Heavy rains from the storm were blamed for three deaths in Panama, and officials in Costa Rica ordered the evacuation of 4,000 people from its Caribbean coast. Forecasters say the of Otto is expected to make landfall in that warning area sometime Thursday and reach the Pacific coast of southern Nicaragua or northern Costa Rica sometime early Friday.
Hurricane Otto makes landfall in Nicaragua, becoming the southernmost hurricane on record to hit Central America.