CNN's latest storm report says Hurricane Sara is bringing heavy rains to northeastern Honduras, along with flash floods and landslides, with the forecast to last through the weekend.
As of the morning of November 15, local time, up to 500mm of rain had fallen in many places in Honduras and further rainfall is forecast.
Previously, US hurricane forecasters predicted that Hurricane Sara would strengthen into a hurricane and likely make landfall on the west coast of Florida, US.
However, the storm took an unexpected turn. The updated forecast track of the US National Hurricane Center said that the path of Hurricane Sara changed, leaving Florida, US, out of danger from Sara.
The latest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season will have to undergo too much interaction with land in Central America and Mexico to survive in the Gulf of Mexico early next week as originally forecast, the US National Hurricane Center now predicts.
Hurricane Sara formed on the afternoon of November 14 on the Honduras-Nicaragua border. Sara is the 18th storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
During a typical hurricane season, storms and depressions appear in November, but Sara is the third storm of the month due to the exceptionally warm water flow due to climate change.
The storm briefly made landfall in northeastern Honduras on the evening of November 14 and could make landfall again as it moves along the coast.
The latest hurricane bulletin from the US National Hurricane Center warns that continued heavy rains from Sara could cause “life-threatening” flooding in parts of Honduras. Some parts of Honduras could see as much as 760mm of rain. Other areas of Central America could see 250mm or more.
After leaving Honduras this weekend, Hurricane Sara will threaten to bring strong winds and flooding to Belize. Tropical storm warnings have been in effect from Honduras to Guatemala and Belize since November 14. Additional Hurricane Sara warnings may be issued for Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Belize in the coming days.
There are a number of scenarios for how Hurricane Sara will develop after it interacts with mainland Honduras and the Yucatan Peninsula. However, the elimination of the possibility of a Florida strike is good news for the US Gulf Coast, which has been hit by five hurricanes this season.
