The latest storm report from the AP said Hurricane Sara made landfall in Belize on November 17 after hitting the northern coast of Honduras. Previously, the latest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season had been sweeping across Honduras since November 15, causing rivers to swell and trapping many people in their homes.
The latest hurricane forecast from the US National Hurricane Center predicts that Hurricane Sara will continue to weaken as it moves further inland across the Yucatan Peninsula.
Due to the impact of Hurricane Sara, areas of Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo are expected to record up to 130 mm of rain, with localized totals of up to 150 mm.
The US National Hurricane Center said this weather situation could lead to flash floods and landslides.
In northern Honduras, some areas recorded as much as 1,016 mm of rain. Weather agencies have warned of the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.
This part of Honduras was devastated by back-to-back storms in November 2020, when Hurricanes Eta and Iota made landfall as Category 4 hurricanes. Northern Honduras suffered the worst of the storm, with torrential rains causing flooding that displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Eta alone dropped up to 760 mm of rain along the northern coast.
Before Hurricane Sara, two other storms hit the Atlantic hurricane season in November. Hurricane Patty brought heavy rains to the Azores and dissipated at sea, leaving no impact on land. Then Hurricane Rafael hit Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before slamming into Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.
With three storms in November, the final month of the 2024 hurricane season is shaping up to be an unusual one. Forecasters typically see one or two storms in November about once every one to two years.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico officially runs from June 1 to November 30.
