Tropical Storm Sara was expected to bring heavy rain to South America as it moves slowly across Honduras and Belize. Image courtesy NOAA
Nov. 14 (UPI) — The National Hurricane Center said Friday morning that Tropical Storm Sara is expected to cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides in Central America this week as it moved along the coast of Honduras. In its 3 a.m. EST update, report, the late-season storm is 65 miles east-southeast of Isla Guanaja, Honduras, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and moving west at 9 mph.
“A continued westward motion at a slower forward speed is expected over the next day or so,” the National Hurricane Center said in a statement. “A slow west-northwestward motion is forecast by late Saturday.”
On the forecast track, the center of Sara will continue to move close to the northern coast of Honduras through early Saturday, then approach the coast of Belize early Sunday.”
The center said while some strengthening is expected over that time, the NHC did not indicate that it expected Sara to become a hurricane. The storm is currently 230 miles east-southeast of Belize City.
Tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Bay Islands of Honduras and the north coast of Honduras from Punta Sal eastward to the Honduras/Nicaragua border.
The center continued to predict rain totaling from 10 to 20 inches in some areas of Central America because of the storm, mostly in northern Honduras. Flash flooding and mudslides are expected in the Sierra La Esperanza.
Other locations that could receive as much as 10 inches of rain include Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua, and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
“Sara is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain with localized totals around 15 inches through early next week,” the center said. “This will result in areas of flash flooding, perhaps significant, along with the potential of mudslides.”