Hurricane Iota is now a dangerous Category 5 storm that is likely to bring catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered this month by powerful Hurricane Eta.
Iota rapidly intensified overnight into a mighty system over the western Caribbean, headed toward Nicaragua and Honduras.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Air Force hurricane hunters flew into Iota’s core and measured maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph).
Evacuations began over the weekend to move people out of low-lying areas in Nicaragua and Honduras near their shared border.
Iota was expected to make landfall late Monday.
Eta was this year's 28th named storm, tying the 2005 record. Remnants of Theta, the 29th, dissipated Sunday in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Eta previously hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 120 people.
The official end of hurricane season is Nov. 30.
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(The Associated Press, CBS News contributed to this report.)
