The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Depression 19 has strengthened into Tropical Storm Sara in the central Caribbean Sea. The system is expected to continue strengthening in the coming days.
At 4 p.m., the disturbance was 165 miles east-southeast of Isla Guanaja, Honduras, with sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. The system is moving to the west at 10 miles per hour.
NHC forecasters said Tropical Storm Sara should continue moving west over the next few days while also slowing down. It is expected to produce heavy rainfall over portions of Honduras with potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides, NHC forecasters said.
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 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.
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.