Late-season Tropical Storm Otto hovering in the Caribbean
Late-season Tropical Storm Otto is hovering in the southwest Caribbean and forecasters say it could become a hurricane in the next few days.
The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm had top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) Monday afternoon and was nearly stationary about 315 miles (505 kilometers) east of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It also is about 190 miles (305 kilometers) east-southeast of San Andres Island.
The center says Nicaragua, Costa Rica and some southwest Caribbean islands should watch the storm's progress but no coastal watches or warnings are currently in effect.
Forecasters say more strengthening is expected and hurricane status could be reached within days. They also say heavy rains associated with the storm could fall in Panama and Costa Rica later this week.
