Agricultural land was flooded in Almirante, Bocas del Toro and streets became inundated in low-lying areas of Puerto Armuelles, Chiriquí.

Winds aloft in the vicinity of San Andrés, Colombia and the Panama Canal Zone indicated that a low-level circulation developed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on November 20.

[3] Operationally, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories at 0300 UTC and erroneously indicated that it was a tropical depression and noted that conditions did not favor significant intensification.

[4] Later on November 22, a reconnaissance flight indicated Martha deepened to a compact hurricane,[2] and the tropical cyclone attained a maximum sustained wind speed of 90 mph (140 km/h).

[7] The storm maintained that intensity, and shortly before 1800 UTC on November 24, Martha made landfall in rural Veraguas Province, Panama, about 10 miles (16 km) east of the mouth of the Calovebora River.

[2] The storm rapidly weakened inland, deteriorating to tropical depression status early on November 25, twelve hours before dissipating over southern Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca.

[11] Additionally, Arnold Sugg of National Hurricane Center warned residents of gale-force winds and heavy precipitation, advising people living between Bluefields, Nicaragua and Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama to take precautions.

As a result, at least half of agricultural land in Almirante, Bocas del Toro was flooded, causing extensive crop damage.