The National Hurricane Center said the Potential Tropical Cyclone in the central Caribbean Sea is now Tropical Depression 19. The system is expected to continue strengthening in the coming days.
At 4 a.m., the disturbance was 280 miles east of Isla Guanaja, Honduras, with sustained winds of 35 miles per hour. The system is moving to the west at 16 miles per hour.
NHC forecasters said PTC 19 should continue moving west over the next few days while also slowing down.
On the forecast track, the system's center should move across the western Caribbean Sea and stall as it nears the north coast of Honduras late Friday and through the weekend.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:
- Punta Castilla to the Honduras/Nicaragua Border
- The Bay Islands of Honduras
A Tropical Storm WARNING is in effect for:
- Punta Sal to the Honduras/Nicaragua Border
- The Bay Islands of Honduras
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
- Honduras/Nicaragua Border to Puerto Cabezas
An Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is set to investigate the system Thursday morning.
When the system forms into a named storm, it will be named "Sara."
HURRICANE RESOURCES
Back-to-back storm events brought record storm surge, rainfall and winds to the Tampa Bay region. The question some are asking now isn’t where people should rebuild, but where we should let nature regain control.