Hurricane Otto gained speed and intensity today as it slammed into Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast as a Category 2 storm. It made landfall at 1 p.m. ET just north of the Costa Rican border, the Associated Press reported.
The unusually strong, late-season hurricane packed winds up to 110 miles per hour and brought with it torrential rains, causing life-threatening floods and mudslides, according to the AP.
Officials evacuated more than 10,000 people, including many who crowded onto buses bound for shelters.
Otto is expected to weaken to a tropical storm by tonight.