The record-tying 28th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic storm season, Eta, intensified into a hurricane early this morning and is expected to hit Central America early tomorrow morning. Forecasters warn Hurricane Eta could rapidly intensify today and dump about 20 inches of rain across central and northern Nicaragua and much of Honduras, with up to 35 inches expected in some areas. In addition to a storm surge up to 15 feet above normal tides, officials warn Eta could also cause catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding in areas with higher terrain. Authorities in Nicaragua and Guatemala also warned of crop damage and Honduran officials prepared humanitarian aid in preparation for the storm. Global warming, caused by burning fossil fuels, heats air temperatures which increases the amount of water storms can dump out as rain, and pushes storm surges even higher. (AP, CBS, CNN, Weather Channel, La Prensa NI (es), La Prensa HN (es), Prensa Libre (es); Climate Signals background: Climate Signals background: Hurricanes, 2020 Atlantic hurricane season)