Hurricane Beta briefly attained Category 3 status overnight — making it the seventh major hurricane of the season, one shy of 1950’s record of eight — then weakened to a Category 2 with 105 mph winds before making landfall at 7:00 AM EST near La Barra, Nicaragua.

It now has 90 mph winds, and further rapid weakening is expected, according to the discussion:

GIVEN THE SMALL SIZE OF THE HURRICANE…BETA SHOULD WEAKEN VERY RAPIDLY AS IT MOVES FARTHER INLAND…AND THE CIRCULATION IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE DURING THE 24 HOURS OR SO IT WILL SPEND OVER LAND. HOWEVER…IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT BETA REMAINS A TROPICAL CYCLONE THROUGHOUT ITS OVERLAND PASSAGE…IT WOULD RETAIN ITS NAME IN THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC BASIN.

And now… is there a proto-Gamma out there?! Dr. Jeff Masters writes:

A large tropical wave located about 200 miles east of the Lesser Antilles has not become better organized today but has some potential for further development over the next few days as it moves west or west-northwest at 15 mph. This area of disturbed weather will bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the northern Leeward Islands today. If a tropical storm does develop from this wave, it could threaten Hispanolia, Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas later in the week. Wind shear over the Caribbean is expected to remain low the next week, favoring tropical storm development of any tropical waves that traverse the region.

Here’s a picture of the wave: