The National Hurricane Center says hurricane and tropical storm watches are in place for parts of Honduras and Nicaragua

On By Littum

Hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued for parts of Honduras and Nicaragua i The National Hurricane Center’s latest update. The NHC said Wednesday afternoon that a disturbance in the Caribbean is likely to become the latest tropical depression or storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and is expected to “strengthen and produce life-threatening flooding over parts of Central America.”

Where is it now and where is it going?

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a broad area of ​​low pressure in the central Caribbean Sea have increased as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the NHC.

“The system is expected to become a tropical storm within the next day or so and will likely bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to land areas within the next 36 to 48 hours.” the NHC said in its latest forecast discussion.

The Honduran government has issued a hurricane watch from Punta Castilla heading east to the border between Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Nicaraguan government has issued a tropical storm watch from the Honduras-Nicaragua border heading south to Puerto Cabezas.

The NHC said early next week that it expects “heavy rainfall to cause significant, life-threatening flash floods and mudslides across parts of Central America, particularly Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala and western Nicaragua.”

By early next week, the weather system could be at or near hurricane strength as it is expected to approach Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

What are the chances of it becoming a tropical storm?

High. The hurricane center gave it a 90% chance of forming within 48 hours, and the same chance of formation through seven days.

If it were to reach tropical storm strength, it would become Tropical Storm Sara – the 18th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

The season so far has had 17 named storms, 11 of which have developed into hurricanes.

The latest – Hurricane Rafael – made landfall in Cuba last week and crossed into the Gulf of Mexico, where it dissipated over the weekend.