At 10 mph (16 kph), Sara is heading west toward Honduras’ northern coast and is predicted to diminish over the next three days, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
As Tropical Storm Sara slowly churns from the Caribbean, Honduras is expected to be the first country in its path, prompting Central American nations to race Thursday night to prepare for its impact.
Before heading to Belize on Sunday, the NHC anticipates that Sara will cause “life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides” in Honduras.
Over the next four days, the center predicts 10–20 inches (25–51 cm) of total rainfall, with much to 30 inches expected in some places.
According to the Miami-based forecaster, the tropical storm is predicted to affect major coffee-producing regions, including El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua, and the southern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, into early next week.
While other nations triggered emergency steps in anticipation of possibly disastrous rainfall, Honduras has issued a “red alert” for its northern region.
On Thursday evening, the storm was situated close off the coast of Honduras, 130 miles (209 km) southeast of the island of Guanaja.
The National Risk Management System of Honduras issued a warning that the tropical storm might stay “semi-stationary” near the Caribbean coast until Sunday morning.
Sara will strike Guatemala after Honduras, where local authorities have urged citizens to fortify their homes and stock up on emergency supplies in case of evacuation orders.
Vice President Rosario Murillo of Nicaragua declared that when Sara spreads throughout the nation, the northern coastal regions will be most affected. (Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City, Gabriela Selser and Raul Cortes in Mexico City, Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa, and Alvaro Murillo in San Jose.)
