Ida becomes a hurricane en route to Nicaragua (Roundup)

Nov 5, 2009, 14:54 GMT

Managua/Miami - Tropical Storm Ida became a hurricane as it continued to approach Nicaragua Thursday, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said.

Ida - with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour with higher gusts - was expected to make landfall in Nicaragua Thursday morning, as it moved northwest at 11 kilometres per hour. It was expected to weaken over land, although it was likely to affect eastern Nicaraguan and eastern Honduras for a couple of days.

The government in Managua has issued a hurricane warning from Bluefields north to Puerto Cabezas and made emergency accommodation available for several thousand people in the region.

The NHC warned that rainfall from Ida could lead to dangerous flash floods and mudslides, as well as large waves.

Floods and landslides are a particular threat and kill the most people during the rainy season.

The hurricane season, which officially lasts until the end of October, has passed off with no significant damage across the region this year so far.

No hurricane has made landfall in the Caribbean so far this year. Last year, the storms caused severe damage especially in Cuba and Haiti. Hurricane Felix killed several people and caused substantial damage in Nicaragua two years ago.